Mr FINN (Western Metropolitan) -- I am not sure whether the matter I wish to raise on the adjournment tonight should be addressed to the Minister for Health, Mr Andrews, or the Minister for Community Services who is also the Minister for Senior Victorians, Ms Neville. I will direct it to Minister Neville and ask that if it ought be addressed to Minister Andrews, that it be redirected to him. It concerns a phone call I received from a constituent telling me about his 90-year-old mother, who is recovering from a fall, is blind in one eye and is vision impaired in her other eye. She receives the Hume City Council service for cleaning and for shopping. The cleaning service is 1.5 hours per week and the shopping service is a fortnightly service. Due to funding cuts by the DHS (Department of Human Services) the Hume City Council has needed to cut back the cleaning service to a fortnightly basis.

This woman's vision impairment means that she cannot see hazards in her home that require cleaning, such as food scraps, which can obviously be very dangerous to any of us, but certainly would be dangerous to someone who is 90 years of age. The cleaning service also forms an important part of the social interaction of my constituent's mother, as she lives independently; she lives alone. Additionally, cleaning staff assisting his mother pick up perishables such as bread and milk for her if necessary.

I have to say I was appalled and deeply distressed to hear that the support for a 90-year-old lady in my

electorate with various disabilities has been subject to cuts. I ask the minister to provide the necessary funding to allow the elderly to live the remaining years of their lives with safety and dignity. It is the very least we can do as a civilised society. It is not fair or reasonable in any way for people of this age to have to worry about funding cuts such as what this lady has been subject to. It concerns me enormously.

The funding cuts are obviously not just confined to the Hume City Council; they are widespread. I know the workers of the Hume City Council have been very upset by these cuts and have expressed a desire for those services to be restored. Given there are more and more elderly people with us in the community, I ask that the minister provide the funding necessary for the services to which I refer.