The Senate has condemned the Turnbull Government for its failure to secure the future of Palliative Care Tasmania.
The motion moved by Tasmanian Labor Senators Catryna Bilyk and Helen Polley passed the Senate today.
Senator Bilyk, who has been campaigning to save Palliative Care Tasmania for more than six months, said it defies belief that the Turnbull Government would allow such a successful program to end.
“The work of Palliative Care Tasmania has had an extraordinary impact on the way people in Tasmania approach end of life conversations and decisions,” Senator Bilyk said.
“I am in no doubt that it has resulted in significant financial savings in acute care, not to mention a vastly improved end of life experience for the many Tasmanians who have had the opportunity to die at home in accordance with their wishes.”
Funded as part of Labor’s Better Access to Palliative Care program, Palliative Care Tasmania were given the task of providing education on end of life and palliative care, death, dying, grief and bereavement to 1,000 Tasmanians.
The organisation has well exceeded their target, educating more than 15,000 Tasmanians through a combination of community education sessions and targeted grants.
“The Government should have matched Labor’s pre-election commitment to provide Palliative Care Tasmania with $2.3 million over three years to continue its work and to evaluate this outstanding program for a national rollout,” Senator Bilyk said.
“Instead, they have allowed Palliative Care Tasmania to close its doors, and as a result thousands of Tasmanians will have poorer end of life and palliative care outcomes.”
The motion
The Senate:
(1) Notes that:
(a) Labor in Government provided $2.67 million over four years to Palliative Care Tasmania to deliver the Networking End of Life Care Across Tasmania project as part of the $63.2 million Better Access to Palliative Care (BAPC) program.
(b) The project has delivered education on end of life and palliative care, death, dying, grief and bereavement which has reached more than 15,000 Tasmanians.
(c) The BAPC program has increased the number of Tasmanians dying at home, in their preferred setting, to 26 percent compared with 14 percent nationally.
(d) Prior to the last Federal election, Labor committed to provide funding of $2.3 million over three years to allow Palliative Care Tasmania to continue its important work.
(e) In the absence of any funding commitment from the Australian Government, Palliative Care Tasmania is expected to close its doors due to a lack of funding.
(2) Condemns the Turnbull Liberal Government for their failure to secure the future of Palliative Care Tasmania.
SENATOR CATRYNA BILYK SENATOR FOR TASMANIA
