Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the very recent and welcome news regarding the Feros Village aged-care facility in my electorate. After nearly a year the residents now have been given certainty on the future of their much-loved home.

Feros Village has as its namesake the late George Feros, who was a well-known resident of the Byron Bay community. For many years George walked the streets with a wooden box and bell collecting money for his vision of aged-care services in the Byron region. Over a period of 20 years he raised more than $180,000 for what would later become Feros Care. In February 2023, Feros Care very suddenly and unexpectedly announced that they would cease providing those aged-care services and redevelop the much-loved village in Byron Bay. The whole community were distressed. Residents and their families were understandably disappointed and faced months of uncertainty as to their future. When the news broke I, like everyone in the community, was equally disappointed and distressed by that decision and the absolute stress it placed on the residents.

After this news, both the state and federal Labor governments and the Byron Shire Council worked to find a resolution and a new provider to keep the site open for residents. I spoke with many of the affected residents when I visited the village, and they talked about how much they loved living there and the really special friendships they had forged in their time as residents. I personally raised all of the concerns of residents with the Minister for Aged Care, the member for Lilley, and I commend the minister for her deep concern and compassion about the situation and for the work done by the department in supporting many of the residents through this incredibly difficult time.

Can I also strongly commend the New South Wales minister for Crown land, Steve Kamper, for his and the state government's work in securing the new provider. Minister Kamper worked tirelessly, and in response to the feedback from residents in the community he ensured Crown Lands conducted an expression of interest process to attract a new operator for the Feros Village facility with a long-term lease arrangement. Thanks to this incredible work, just last month St Andrews Village Ballina took official management of the Byron Bay facility.

I want to thank and acknowledge all those community members who stood up and stood with the residents. With St Andrews taking over the operation, the site is secure and the future of those residents is secure. This is as a result of federal and state Labor governments working together with the community and acting on their concerns. I want to thank everyone who fought so hard to make this a reality.

St Andrews is a community based organisation that has been in our region since 1983. They've now been awarded this opportunity to negotiate a 40-year lease over the site. Again, I want to thank the residents, families and community members who never gave up the fight for their home at Feros Village. State and federal Labor governments listened to our community and worked with them, and we're all very proud to be delivering this result.

Aged care is a priority for the Albanese government. We're very proud to have worked closely with the state government to deliver this outcome.