To the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled:

The petition of the undersigned nurses and members of the public shows their concerns with the Aged Care Bill 1997 and the accompanying changes to the funding and regulation of Aged Care announced by the Government in the 1996 Budget. In particular regarding the abolition of specific funding for the provision of nursing care to residents of nursing homes.

Your Petitioners ask that the Senate amend the Aged Care Bill 1997 so as to provide a requirement that funding of aged care be in such a form that specific funds are allocated to aged care providers for the provision of nursing care to nursing home residents and that aged care providers be allowed to spend that money only on the provision of nursing care to nursing home residents.