Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Hansard source

The west coast of Tasmania has finally received much-needed funding for aged-care beds in the town of Queenstown. It has taken the Albanese government three years to finally understand the pressing need, but I welcome the announcement by the government of this much-needed investment. The former Liberal-National government invested $1 million after the 2019 election, but with cost blowouts due to COVID it soon became evident that much more was going to be needed. So, in the lead-up to the 2022 election, I secured a further $3 million to alleviate this unmet need. Unfortunately, this important commitment was not matched by Labor at the time. With the project in jeopardy, I worked with the West Coast Council, contacted the federal minister and made speeches in parliament to draw attention to the need to fund this vital service. It is completely unacceptable that the region's older residents are forced out of their local communities to live in care many hours away from their loved ones. This is a region where the winters are treacherous and the road conditions are awful for those who have to visit a far-away home. The West Coast contributes enormously to our state's economic prosperity. And this investment was always a no-brainer to me.

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