Meals on Wheels Victoria questions awarding contracts to providers from other states

Meals on Wheels Victoria has revealed it was shocked to learn of a change in contracts to provide meals to aged care residents. See why and what it means.

EXCLUSIVE: Meals on Wheels Victoria has accused the Government of lacking transparency after it awarded two interstate providers a lucrative $2.2m to run pilot services in the state, without consulting them.

A Queensland and a NSW provider were awarded one year contracts to provide meals to the elderly in Whitehorse and Ballarat from July 1, without going through a tender process.

Both areas were in danger of losing services after the local councils announced they would end funding on June 30.

Meals on Wheels Victoria state manager Alina Hinton-Tooley said while they were pleased to see the elderly would continue to get meals delivered, the organisation had been “blindsided” by the move.

“It’s really odd that a federal minister would set up a pilot program in our state without even speaking to the Meals on Wheels state peak body,” Ms Hinton-Tooley said.

Shadow Minister Anne Ruston has asked why the government did not consult or engage local Meals on Wheels services. Picture: Martin Ollman

“Why were local providers not considered?

“We feel there’s a lack of transparency.

“Why were we not involved with what was being planned in our own state?”

Ms Hinton-Tooley claimed an email sent to Aged Care Minister Anika Wells in March demanding an explanation had gone unanswered, although her office said they could not locate the email.

She also had questions around why the interstate providers were getting far more funding per meal than local providers.

“The biggest issue apart from transparency is the disparity,” Ms Hinton-Tooley said.

“If you do the maths, funding for the pilot works out at about $13 a meal, which is more funding than any of the other providers are getting in Victoria, which is about $8.25.”

Shadow Minister Anne Ruston asked questions about the pilots at the last Senate Estimates.

“The Minister must explain why Meals on Wheels Victoria was not given the opportunity to apply for this pilot program despite being the local provider, and why she instead chose to fly in a provider from her own state of Queensland to deliver a service for Victorians,” Ms Ruston said.

“The direct tender process raises some serious concerns about the fairness and transparency involved in this selection.”

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

The Department of Health and Aged Care responded to Ms Ruston’s questions on notice saying that the higher funding per meal for the pilots was “reflective of higher than average costs involved with establishing new infrastructure”.

It also said that peak bodies are not usually consulted and meals providers with the necessary capacity and capability were reviewed and selected, as part of the selection process.

Meals on Wheels Victoria published a report in February warning that its services were in danger of disappearing in parts of the state due in part to the exit of the local government from the sector and a lack of clarity about funding.

It found that in some areas Meals on Wheels services were being replaced by fortnightly frozen meal deliveries, meaning less contact between the volunteers and the elderly, an important part of the service.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Aged Care said “through this process, the department has sought to ensure ongoing social connection for older Australians, with the vast majority of existing volunteers continuing and allowing longstanding relationships to be maintained”.

The spokesman said since the transition on July 1, the department has only received positive feedback.

Originally published as Meals on Wheels Victoria questions awarding contracts to providers from other states