❓ Hon Robin Chapple questions the Minister for Health regarding the discontinuation of funding for Aboriginal health programs following the Holman Review, specifically focusing on programs deemed 'good' and the Earbus program. The Minister's response details reasons for discontinuation, including contract expiry and duplication of services.
AnsweredQoN 1433Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
ABORIGINAL HEALTH PROGRAMS — HOLMAN REVIEW
1433. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the
parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Holman report, ''A Promising Future: WA Aboriginal
Health Programs'' and to the
minister's comments that only programs considered poor or marginal
would no longer receive funding.
(1) Will the minister please table a list of
all programs that have had their funding discontinued as a result of the Holman
review?
(2) Are there any programs on this list that
were considered good, very good or outstanding in the Holman review, yet have
had their funding discontinued?
(3) If yes to (2),
will the minister please outline the reasons why for each program?
(4) Was the Aboriginal mobile children's
ear clinic, or Earbus program, considered poor or marginal in the Holman
review; and, if not, why was funding discontinued?
1433. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the
parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Holman report, ''A Promising Future: WA Aboriginal
Health Programs'' and to the
minister's comments that only programs considered poor or marginal
would no longer receive funding.
(1) Will the minister please table a list of
all programs that have had their funding discontinued as a result of the Holman
review?
(2) Are there any programs on this list that
were considered good, very good or outstanding in the Holman review, yet have
had their funding discontinued?
(3) If yes to (2),
will the minister please outline the reasons why for each program?
(4) Was the Aboriginal mobile children's
ear clinic, or Earbus program, considered poor or marginal in the Holman
review; and, if not, why was funding discontinued?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) No. To safeguard the interests and
integrity of the service providers, it would not be appropriate to disclose the
details of the programs that were assessed as marginal or poor. Funding was
maintained for around 88 per cent of Aboriginal health programs that were
assessed by the Holman review as good, very good or outstanding. Funding was
not continued for the programs rated as marginal or poor.
(2) Yes. These programs are the mobile ear
health screening service, which is known as Earbus, delivered by the Telethon
Speech and Hearing Centre for Children WA, and the chronic disease management
and health promotion program provided by the Unity of First People of Australia
Ltd primary health service.
(3) I refer the member to (4) for the
reasons for the discontinuation of the Earbus program that is provided by the
Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for Children WA.
In relation to the chronic disease management and health promotion
program provided by UFPA, there were consistent issues with the quality of its
reporting against contractual outcomes. Based on its prior performance, UFPA
was not accorded preferred provider status. The screening component of the UFPA
program was a duplication of WA Country Health Service clinical services and
there was a lack of coordination with WACHS Kimberley for follow-up care.
(4) No. Child and Adolescent Community
Health had a contract with Telethon Speech and Hearing to provide ear screening—the
Earbus program—from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2011. The contract was
extended seven times beyond term and could not be extended beyond 31 December
2015. This was communicated to the Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for
Children WA in September 2014, June 2015 and September 2015.
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) No. To safeguard the interests and
integrity of the service providers, it would not be appropriate to disclose the
details of the programs that were assessed as marginal or poor. Funding was
maintained for around 88 per cent of Aboriginal health programs that were
assessed by the Holman review as good, very good or outstanding. Funding was
not continued for the programs rated as marginal or poor.
(2) Yes. These programs are the mobile ear
health screening service, which is known as Earbus, delivered by the Telethon
Speech and Hearing Centre for Children WA, and the chronic disease management
and health promotion program provided by the Unity of First People of Australia
Ltd primary health service.
(3) I refer the member to (4) for the
reasons for the discontinuation of the Earbus program that is provided by the
Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for Children WA.
In relation to the chronic disease management and health promotion
program provided by UFPA, there were consistent issues with the quality of its
reporting against contractual outcomes. Based on its prior performance, UFPA
was not accorded preferred provider status. The screening component of the UFPA
program was a duplication of WA Country Health Service clinical services and
there was a lack of coordination with WACHS Kimberley for follow-up care.
(4) No. Child and Adolescent Community
Health had a contract with Telethon Speech and Hearing to provide ear screening—the
Earbus program—from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2011. The contract was
extended seven times beyond term and could not be extended beyond 31 December
2015. This was communicated to the Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre for
Children WA in September 2014, June 2015 and September 2015.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.