Casino Uniting Care Transport Team
| About this Item |
Subjects | Churches: Christian; Welfare: New South Wales |
Speakers | George Mr Thomas |
Business | Private Members Statements |
Page: 7190
Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [5.12 p.m.]: I join with The Nationals push to have the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Service rules changed. People in the Lismore electorate needed no encouragement to sign the petition asking the Carr Government to change the requirements for the number of kilometres they have to travel to receive assistance. In New South Wales it is 200 kilometres but over the border in Queensland, which is only one hour away, it is only 50 kilometres. Again, people in need in the north along the border areas are unfairly disadvantaged. The Casino Uniting Care Transport Team, which is part of the Uniting Church in Australia, New South Wales Synod, does a tremendous job in the community right throughout the Northern Rivers. The co-ordinator, Shirley Smith, has written to me on a number of occasions seeking support. Recently she wrote to me seeking financial assistance for isolated patients:
Dear Thomas,
We are a team of volunteers that was put together in October 1999, as a request from Casino Neighbourhood Centre to supplement their trips for which funding was no longer available.
On commencement of doing these trips in November 1999, it was discovered that a great number of calls were not being registered with the Casino Neighbourhood Centre due to their telephone not being manned after 4pm. We started to pick up these persons in need also.
The need has obviously found us as we have never advertised. We now find ourselves unable to continue to give the service required unless we get some financial backing.
She then set out a table of statistics. From November 1999 to October 2000 volunteer hours were not recorded. However, five drivers undertook 77 trips covering a distance of 9,994 kilometres. In August 2000 the number of drivers increased to six. From November 2000 to October 2001 volunteer hours were not recorded. During this period 13 drivers undertook 158 trips and covered 17,464 kilometres. From November 2001 to June 2002, again, volunteer hours were not recorded. However, 16 drivers undertook 206 trips covering 16,726 kilometres. From July 2002 to June 2003 volunteer hours were not recorded. During the period 20 drivers undertook 464 trips covering a distance of 38,678 kilometres. From July 2003 to February 2004, 18 drivers undertook 547 trips covering a distance of 60,989 kilometres and logged 1,566 volunteer hours. The letter continues:
The above trips have covered the area from Evans Head to Chermside (North of Brisbane) in the north & east to Ballina.
At most of the hospitals there is parking for which a fee is charged. In all these circumstances, the volunteer stands the cost him/herself.
Could you please help us to find some financial assistance?
Please feel free to contact myself or Russell [Playford], our chairman, if you so wish.
The volunteers transport people who need to get to hospitals not only in Queensland but also locally. These people have no other means of transport. I do not want to go off on a tangent about transport because there is not much to say about it. We do not have public transport full stop, so that solves that problem. Shirley Smith and her team of volunteers do a mighty job. I ask the Government to reach some financial arrangement. I will take it up with the Minister. I compliment them on the job they are doing. As they say, they are creating Christian communities in our area. [Time expired.)