Over 800 people have signed a petition protesting an in-principle decision by the Campaspe Shire council (195 kilometres north of the Melbourne CBD) to stop providing aged care and disability support to roughly 700 members of the community.

According to the council, the decision was made based on “a number of reforms in the aged and disability service sector” which will prevent the council from “competing effectively or viably in the changing marketplace.”

It pointed specifically to the commitment by the government to introduce a standard national approach to the delivery of aged care and disability services and a shift to a consumer-directed care model, which it says it will be unable to adapt to without “significant change and cost”.

As we reported here, local councils pulling out of delivering home care services due to financial pressure is becoming increasingly common, with the latest council to do so also in VIC – in Maribyrnong (10 kilometres north-west of Melbourne CBD).

Updated 1 July 2019: The petition to the Shire of Campaspe requesting that the Shire of Campaspe do not withdraw from providing Aged and Disabilty Sevices was lodged with the Shire yesterday at 10.45am. The petition contains 2,651 valid signatures. This amounts to 7% of the Shires population and close to 4% of the shires aged population.