Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month I was privileged to travel with the Deputy Prime Minister to visit the hinterland areas of my electorate to announce two strategic Roads to Recovery programs; they are very important and I will talk about those on another day. Our last stop of the day was in Monto, the most northerly town in my electorate, and we stopped at Ridgehaven Retirement Complex, which is a pleasant aged-care facility serving the North Burnett area. Ridgehaven could become a new benchmark for rural centre based care. It is noted for its lovely gardens, its old colonial buildings with wide verandas and of course the marvellously dedicated staff.

Currently, Ridgehaven provides 15 low-care places, 10 high-care places and five new places in a high-care secured area. Each individual room has an ensuite bathroom. The facilities of common areas allow residents and visitors to take part in singalongs and other forms of entertainment. But good and all as this facility is, the local community is always looking for more improvements, as my Monto friend, Hec Kilah, the deputy chair of the board of that establishment, frequently reminds me. That is why I was very pleased when Ridgehaven received a $1.1 million capital grant under the latest aged-care approval round. Around $865,000 of that will cover the cost of building six new single rooms and ensuites; a further $120,000 will be used to upgrade the nurse call system; and $80,000 will be spent in a fire panel and censor upgrade, which is very important of course when you have wooden buildings. The remaining $45,000 will install a sprinkler system.

During our visit, the Deputy Prime Minister and I, along with Ridgehaven’s care manager, Annette Painter, the board’s chair, Paul Lobegeier, and Mayor of Monto, Warren McLachlan, had the honour of turning the first sod of the project, which received a $1.7 million capital grant from the Commonwealth in the 2005 round. When completed, Ridgehaven will have upgraded kitchen and laundry facilities and a brand-new lounge and dining area.

I well remember going to the old hospital, where the then director of nursing, Dulcie Williams, was struggling with up to 20 aged-care patients under her care. On one occasion I went into the hospital to find the whole maternity ward full of old people. So Ridgehaven has played a very important part in the life of that town. It is heartening to see this vital community asset, Ridgehaven, being given the opportunity to expand to meet the demands of the local area, because all these capital works mean that more local people will be able to stay in their home town and receive care into their old age. It is something that should be available to country people as well as city people. (Time expired)