After months of uncertainty, Minister for Community and Disability Services and Reform Mary Wooldridge says a tender process will deliver for the Sandhurst centre.
Last year the state government announced it was going to close the Sandhurst centre in Bendigo, which houses people living with disabilities.
The government is moving the residents into more 21st century accommodation, like purpose-built units.
The state government also announced it would tender out the jobs that until now have been held by people in the public service, and yesterday the government released the 18-day tender to provide those services.
Minister for Community and Disability Services and Reform, Mary Wooldridge, says that with the short tender process, they’re providing certainty to residents, their relatives, and staff.
“We’ll have a decision by October about who’s going to be providing these services when the facility closes in 2016,” she says.
“It will mean recruitment for staff can begin in November, and staff will know by January whether they’ve got jobs with the new providers, and, importantly, the new services providers will work with residents about the design of the facilities as these purpose-built homes are established, and as they work out how the transition will occur.”
Meanwhile, the Community and Public Sector Union, which has been campaigning strongly on this issue, says there is no certainty.
The CPSU’s Lloyd Williams says the government is rushing through a “morally corrupt” process and that 18 days isn’t enough time for any organisation to tender properly.
“This is just driven by politics,” he says.
“The government has always said there would be a carefully considered and properly constructed tender process… (but) to do this in 18 days just smacks of politics, before caretaker mode and the election.”
“What’s the government got to be concerned about to do a proper tender?”
Not surprisingly, the state opposition agrees.
Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan says that, if elected, the ALP would give residents the choice to stay with their current carers under the government-run Department of Human Services model, or move to another provider.
She says that the government is “ramming through its privatisation agenda just hours before an election.”
Ms Wooldridge, however, says that there has been ample time for organisations to prepare for the tender process.
“The community sector has known for 18 months what we are going to do.”
“We’re getting on with the job.”
“I think this will bring certainty to residents and staff.”
Read the full story... (off-site)- Topics:
- Housing
- Author:
- Fiona Parker
- Source:
- ABC Central Victoria
- Date published:
- Tue 30th Sep, 2014