00:02Residents were relieved last year when the Federal Government pledged $10 million to keep Burangiri Respite Centre open.
00:09Burangiri was given an extension until the end of June 2027, which is terrific, but a big question mark after
00:19that.
00:19Whether that money was purely to keep the centre operating, or could also provide more respite places elsewhere, is heavily
00:26contested.
00:27Great to save Burangiri, but they made a very firm commitment to more respite beds in the ACT, and that's
00:33not happening with this $10 million.
00:35The issue of how we provide extra beds is something that we have to do extra work on. It cannot
00:41be met within that $10 million.
00:44I think everyone had hoped $10 million was enough to refurbish and provide extra beds. It's not.
00:49Peter Lyons says the Federal backing is appreciated, but the money could go beyond Burangiri.
00:55It really is extravagant, and it's more than is necessary.
00:59The ACT Government disagrees.
01:01The priority from the community was to get Burangiri back up and running as quickly as possible,
01:07as residential aged care respite fit for purpose for the medium to long term.
01:14Potentially there's more than just this one provider who can actually step up with respite beds.
01:20The Federal Government says it is considering other options for more beds,
01:24and that multiple priorities all need simultaneous attention.
01:28It's very easy to throw stones from the sidelines.
01:31It's actually harder in Government to take decisions that try to balance a whole range of competing issues here.
01:38The question remains, are future plans enough to match immediate need?
01:42The first thing remains, we need to be able to change the speed.
01:44One, we need to move on the front.
01:44The third thing is definitely possible, not the final thing we can do.
01:44You
