Only 38 of the anticipated 36,000 food boxes were delivered to older Australians. The said program falls under the $9.3m government initiative to respond with the food emergency caused by the pandemic.
The emergency food supplies program was introduced in April as a national cabinet recommendation. It was recommended that older Australians must receive food supplies amidst shortages.
The Department of Health acknowledged the low demand for food supplies was the reason for the low delivery statistics.
They added that the said results were an indicator of proper coordination with the providers yet the demand is low. The said program which is under the administration of My Aged Care could be accessed via the internet or phone call.
Primarily, the local supplier determines the contents of the food supply. Nevertheless, they do not limit it to a single set of goods since it includes a variety of choices too.
Julie Collins expressed her concerns about the lack of demand for the scheme provided that the targets were the vulnerable older Australians.
She added that there were lapses in terms of allocation of the COVID-19 response funds and that the matter deserves an appropriate investigation.
Ms. Collins asserted that the government should do better in delivering support to the people instead of making excuses. The past oversubscription of programs for older Australians has acquired savings that can be used for future purposes.
Ian Yates, chief executive of the Council on Ageing said that the organisation has been receiving calls from older Australians who need help with online grocery.
He said that the issue of emergency food parcels was not that much relevant as it was today. This only reflects how older Australians wanted to choose the food they want through the use of an online grocery service.
Mr. Yates added that the unspent remainder of the $9.3m funding must be redistributed to other aged-care services considering the higher demands on such aspects.
Richard Colbeck, the aged care minister said that a supply box scheme is an option for an enhanced case management approach.
When talking about the redistribution of funds, Minister Colbeck said that it should be left to the discretion of the Australian Government.
