‘Absolute mess’: Geelong council’s aged care debate delayed following Fair Work Commission hearing

City Hall’s handling of its potential exit from providing in-home aged care has sparked a passionate protest against the ‘savage cuts’.

Geelong council appears likely to turn its back on a recommendation to exit aged care in the face of community and employee backlash, as one insider describes City Hall’s handling of the issue as “an absolute mess”.

Ahead of a Fair Work Commission hearing on Tuesday, Mayor Stretch Kontelj said his Deakin ward colleague Andrew Katos would introduce an alternative motion at a meeting that was originally planned for Thursday.

However, the meeting has now been pushed back to May to enable further consultation with affected parties, meaning no decision will be reached prior to the federal election.

The alternative motion, to be seconded by deputy mayor Ron Nelson, has the full support the Mr Kontelj.

Stretch Kontelj and Ron Nelson. Picture: City of Greater Geelong

It is expected to counter the current recommendation to councillors, made by officers last week and based on an independent review, that City Hall cease providing in-home aged care services.

The recommendation sparked widespread anger, particularly from the Australian Services Union, its members and local Labor MPs.

Council said during the FWC hearing that it would accede to union demands for more extensive consultation, prompting one City Hall source to question chief executive Ali Wastie’s handling of the matter.

“The aged care issue is quickly becoming an absolute mess,” they said.

“The CEO has constantly said she has done this before and trust her …(but) there is a genuine lack of confidence in the advice the CEO is giving councillors at the moment because the process appears botched so far.”

An Australian Services Union-organised rally on Tuesday outside Wurriki Nyal Civic Precinct protesting Geelong council's plan to cease providing in-home care services. Picture: Alison Wynd

ASU state secretary Tash Wark said the union brought on the FWC hearing because the five business days given to workers to respond to the recommendation was completely inadequate.

“We have heard that councillors have moved to adopt ‘option two’, which would see the council continue its aged care service provision but possibly with some changed service provision,” she said.

“The devil is in the detail – we still don’t know exactly what this includes and whether this still involves a partial exit from aged care.”

Prior to the FWC hearing, Mr Kontelj rebuked the region’s four state Labor MPs – Christine Couzens, Ella George, Alison Marchant and Gayle Tierney – over their claim that exiting aged care would be “a complete abrogation of Geelong council’s responsibility”.

A man holds up a sign saying “What about our nanas”. Picture: Alison Wynd

“It is important to clarify that no decision has been made about jobs in community care, therefore, it is factually inaccurate to say that jobs have been slashed, despite the recommendation of council officers to exit,” he said.

A union-organised rally was held at Wurriki Nyal Civic Precinct on Tuesday afternoon “to show council that this community will not accept these savage cuts lying down”.

EARLIER: Fair Work hearing, rally ahead of contentious aged care exit vote

Geelong council’s aged care workers maintain they were “blindsided” by a recommendation that City Hall cease providing the service, as a hastily convened hearing before Australia’s industrial umpire is confirmed.

The Fair Work Commission will hear from Australian Services Union and City of Greater Geelong lawyers Tuesday morning after an urgent application claimed council had breached its obligations.

The union believes council failed to conduct appropriate consultation with approximately 300 affected staff and is fighting for Thursday’s meeting, where councillors will vote on a recommendation to stop providing in-home care services, to be postponed.

An FWC spokesman could not say whether a result would emerge during the two-hour conference.

A union-organised rally will be held at Wurriki Nyal Civic Precinct later on Tuesday “to show council that this community will not accept these savage cuts lying down”.

“The council has given affected workers just five business days to understand the proposal and provide feedback,” ASU state secretary Tash Wark said.

“This is not the ‘bona fide opportunity to influence decision makers’ that the council enterprise agreement requires.”

Australian Services Union state secretary Tash Wark. Picture: Supplied.

One worker, who asked not to be named over fears of management blowback, said while “hints had been dropped” about a potential exit, workers were repeatedly told it was “business as usual” at recent team meetings.

“We’ve been treated really, really poorly … called to a meeting with very little notice, blindsided,” they said.

Chief executive Ali Wastie said council had complied with the agreement and supported employees.

“We have been actively engaging with our people regarding what the (aged care) reforms mean for them,” she said.

Less than a quarter of Victoria’s 79 local councils still provide in-home care after federal government reforms introduced following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety led to a mass exodus.

The recommendation to go before councillors on Thursday night follows a report from external consultants who, according to Ms Wastie, specialise in council-operated aged care services.

Council declined to name the consultants or provide a copy of their report due to its “sensitive nature”.

Following the lead of other councils, Ms Wastie confirmed the meeting would be confidential because commercial matters would be discussed.

City of Greater Geelong chief executive Ali Wastie. Picture: David Crosling.

All 11 councillors were asked whether they believed the meeting should be closed to the public and just five – Anthony Aitken, Eddy Kontelj, Melissa Cadwell, Elise Wilkinson and Emma Sinclair – responded.

“I believe the council should always meet and decide matters in public, so that residents and the media can observe, scrutinise and understand all decisions made by their elected councillors,” Ms Cadwell said.

“Where reports to council contain some sensitive information, I’m OK with that information being made confidential, but the decisions made on the basis of that information should always be made in public.”

Corio ward councillor Anthony Aitken won’t participate due to a conflict of interest, while Trent Sullivan’s attendance is uncertain.

Mr Sullivan, who was contacted for comment, is believed to be on leave until April 28.

Corangamite MP Libby Coker has been personally lobbying councillors to vote against the recommendation.

Originally published as ‘Absolute mess’: Geelong council’s aged care debate delayed following Fair Work Commission hearing