BUDGET FOR SOCIAL SERVICES

NDIS remains in WA hands

The State Government will spend $8.9 billion—or 29 per cent of total budget expenditure—in 2017-18 to deliver health care for all Western Australians, an increase of 1.4 per cent on 2016-17’s $8.8b.

• Health is again the largest single component of the Budget.
• Election promises to upgrade ageing hospital infrastructure missed the boat.
• An $83 million commitment to tackle the ice epidemic was a positive.

The McGowan Government is still deciding whether it will switch to the Commonwealth administered National Disability Insurance Scheme, but for now it’s business as usual. The Government has allocated $314m in the 2017-18 year for NDIS, which will more than triple to $1.1b by 2020-21 in the Budget forward estimates.
Transition to a full scheme started on July 1 in the Pilbara, Kimberley and South Metropolitan areas, in addition to existing Lower South West and Cockburn-Kwinana NDIS trial areas. CCI CEO Deidre Wilmott welcomed the commitment to tackling methamphetamine use in the community with its Methamphetamine Action Plan.

“CCI has previously examined the scourge of methamphetamine in the workplace in its Business Pulse magazine in 2016, which won several awards for its coverage,” she said.

“We’re disappointed that election commitments to upgrade ageing hospital infrastructure in key regional centres of Bunbury, Collie and Geraldton have missed out on funding this year.
“A commitment to fast-track the establishment of aged care facilities still has no funding attached or timeframe provided.”
Major funding announcements for health and social services include:

• $83.5 million to establish a Meth Border Force to reduce the supply of methamphetamine coming into WA, and a further $13.8 million for a co-ordinated and targeted Methamphetamine Action Plan
• $13.2 million for specialised mental health programs to students in approximately 300 schools 
• $2m to start establishing Urgent Care Clinics within emergency departments and across the community
• $12.4 million for the Stopping Family and Domestic Violence package
• $1.7 million for a step up/step down mental health facility in Kalgoorlie
• $5m to develop the Peel Youth Medical Service Health Hub
• $0.8m to introduce a patient opinion system in all public hospitals
• $2.8m to expand the Ear Bus program into the Kimberley region
• $1.9m to fund meet and greet services for people from remote communities travelling for treatment
• $1.6m to expand the Find Cancer Early Program into more regional areas.

Okay where is the massive amount of money that is needed for our mentally ill people that we have so many here in WA. There is just not enough facilities, help centres for these people and I am not convinced they will ever get better as some of them have totally fried their brains.???

MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!!

SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!!

KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!!