Councillor ‘disgusted’ Govt is failing rural aged care
Only two residents remain at the Upper Hunter aged care facility Gummun Place Hostel, as the Council contemplates new uses for the site.
At an Extraordinary meeting of the Gummun Place Hostel Advisory Committee this month, Upper Hunter Council said it is negotiating with interested parties that have emerged through an Expression of Interest process.
The Committee is being advised by aged care consultants Pride Aged Living. There are said to be about half a dozen interested parties, according to Upper Hunter Shire Council Councillor Troy Stolz.
Troy told The Weekly SOURCE that the Gummun facility is likely to operate in future as boarding-style accommodation, with residents receiving care in their home through Support at Home packages. Ideally, an on-site health hub will offer services like physiotherapy and occupational therapy on the 21,788sqm site.
The majority of the home’s former residents – 14 until recently – have relocated, with only two now remaining at Gummun Place Hostel. Some have moved to the Merriwa Multi-Purpose Service (MPS), less than a kilometre up the road, which is jointly funded by State and Federal Governments.
But the process has been stressful for residents. “Some of the residents have become ill in the process of moving,” Troy said.
Government “short-sighted” on aged care
“I’m really angry with this Labor government and the short sightedness on aged care,” Troy said. “We’ve got 95 year olds that have worked their whole life, paid taxes for 55, 60 years, lived in the area, and now there isn’t a place for them in an aged care facility in the area.
“They’ve done their bit for this country. The Federal Government’s attitude is ‘we’ve got places in Sydney, and metropolitan areas, but not just Merriwa’. It’s very, very frustrating, very, very disappointing. I’m pretty disgusted.”
Adding to the community’s distress are rumours that Goulburn River Solar Farm, only 28km southwest of Merriwa and the largest solar farm in the Southern Hemisphere, is looking at the site for staff accommodation.
If this eventuates, Merriwa will lose a vital resource for older members of the community.
The battle to remain afloat
In 2024, the Upper Hunter Shire Council wrote to the Federal Government warning Gummun Place Hostel was losing $400,000 a year.
The following year, the Council contacted 160 aged care providers seeking interest in taking on the facility. Only one operator responded, but later withdrew their interest after a site inspection.
The Council has applied for three grants through the Federal Government’s Aged Care Capital Assistance Program, but hasn’t been successful.
