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1. What was proposedMark PartonLiberal · Opposition
   Read the original wording (470 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) palliative care is an essential component of a compassionate and effective health system, supporting people living with life-limiting illness to maximise their quality of life, maintain dignity and, where possible, receive care in the place of their choosing; (b) since 2013, Community Options Palliative Care Program has provided a non-clinical service that assists people to navigate the palliative care system, coordinate appropriate supports and remain safely and comfortably at home where that is their preference; and (c) the Government has not provided ongoing funding for the Community Options Palliative Care Program beyond the 2025-2026 financial year; (2) further notes that: (a) the loss of government funding will result in Community Options Palliative Care ceasing operations; (b) the Community Options Palliative Care Project Evaluation identified significant unmet needs in the ACT palliative care system, including gaps in in-home support, respite, overnight care, allied health and home modifications; (c) the ACT Government’s review of palliative care services in 2023 identified fragmentation across the ACT palliative care system; (d) palliative care is not solely an acute hospital service and must include accessible, coordinated and appropriately funded services delivered in people’s homes and communities; and (e) children and young people living with life-limiting illness have distinct palliative care needs which require age-appropriate, family-centred and coordinated services, including access to appropriate care in the home and community; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) take immediate steps to ensure that Canberrans with life-limiting illness and their families have ongoing access to a dedicated non-clinical, community-based palliative care service, including individualised case management, care coordination, practical and flexible support; (b) ensure that this service is appropriately and sustainably funded, with funding arrangements sufficient to maintain the workforce, expertise, service capacity and referral pathways necessary to meet demand; (c) undertake a comprehensive review of palliative care services in the ACT, including government and non-government providers, navigation pathways, gaps in clinical and non-clinical services, home-based care, community-based care, hospice care and hospital-based services, and ensure the review examines: (i) the state of palliative care services, including the current and projected demand for palliative care; (ii) access to respite, personal care, domestic assistance, allied health, bereavement support and other practical supports; (iii) the extent to which existing services enable people to receive palliative care in their preferred place, including at home; and (iv) includes a specific and dedicated assessment of paediatric and young people’s palliative care; (d) develop a Territory-wide palliative care action plan addressing identified gaps and setting measurable targets for access, coordination, quality, workforce and outcomes; (e) ensure the action plan includes specific actions and measurable targets for paediatric and young people’s palliative care; and (f) report on the review and the proposed palliative care action plan to the Assembly by 30 June 2027.

2. Proposed changeRebecca VassarottiGreens · Crossbench22 September 2026

   Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point, changed a date or deadline, added reporting or consultation.

   Before

   (b) since 2013, Community Options Palliative Care Program has provided a non-clinical service that assists people to navigate the palliative care system, coordinate appropriate supports and remain safely and comfortably at home where that is their preference

   After this change

   (b) since 2013, Community Options Palliative Care Program has provided a case management service that assists people to navigate the palliative care system, coordinate appropriate non-clinical supports and remain safely and comfortably at home where that is their preference; and

   The exact wording of this change

   together: 1. Omit paragraph (1)(b), substitute: “(b) since 2013, Community Options Palliative Care Program has provided a case management service that assists people to navigate the palliative care system, coordinate appropriate non-clinical supports and remain safely and comfortably at home where that is their preference; and”. 2. Omit paragraph (1)(c), substitute: “(c) Community Options is funded to deliver the Palliative Care Program to 31 December 2026. Community Options reports that they have been provided this funding on a year-on-year basis for the last five years and this is the first year since then that that yearly funding will not be provided. Community Options have also invested their own resources to provide those non-clinical services; 3. Omit paragraph (2)(a), substitute: “(a) the loss of government funding has contributed to Community Options Palliative Care ceasing operations;”. 4. In paragraph (3)(a), after “flexible support”, insert: “and report to the Assembly as to who will be the replacement provider by the last sitting day of 2026;”. 5. Omit paragraph (3)(f), substitute: “(f) report to the Assembly on the review by 30 June 2027 and publish the proposed palliative care action plan to the Assembly by 31 December 2027.”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Some of its wording is in the final text.

3. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.

   Final agreed wording, with changes marked

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) palliative care is an essential component of a compassionate and effective health system, supporting people living with life-limiting illness to maximise their quality of life, maintain dignity and, where possible, receive care in the place of their choosing; (b) since 2013, Community Options Palliative Care Program has provided a case management service that assists people to navigate the palliative care system, coordinate appropriate non-clinical supports and remain safely and comfortably at home where that is their preference; andVassarotti (c) Community Options is funded to deliver the Palliative Care Program to 31 December 2026. Community Options reports that they have been provided this funding on a year-on-year basis for the last five years and this is the first year since then that that yearly funding will not be provided. Community Options have also invested their own resources to provide those non-clinical services; (2) further notes that: (a) the loss of government funding has contributed to Community Options Palliative Care ceasing operations; (b) the Community Options Palliative Care Project Evaluation identified significant unmet needs in the ACT palliative care system, including gaps in in-home support, respite, overnight care, allied health and home modifications; (c) the ACT Government’s review of palliative care services in 2023 identified fragmentation across the ACT palliative care system; (d) palliative care is not solely an acute hospital service and must include accessible, coordinated and appropriately funded services delivered in people’s homes and communities; and (e) children and young people living with life-limiting illness have distinct palliative care needs which require age-appropriate, family-centred and coordinated services, including access to appropriate care in the home and community; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) take immediate steps to ensure that Canberrans with life-limiting illness and their families have ongoing access to a dedicated non-clinical, community-based palliative care service, including individualised case management, care coordination, practical and flexible support and report to the Assembly as to who will be the replacement provider by the last sitting day of 2026Vassarotti; (b) ensure that this service is appropriately and sustainably funded, with funding arrangements sufficient to maintain the workforce, expertise, service capacity and referral pathways necessary to meet demand; (c) undertake a comprehensive review of palliative care services in the ACT, including government and non-government providers, navigation pathways, gaps in clinical and non-clinical services, home-based care, community-based care, hospice care and hospital-based services, and ensure the review examines: (i) the state of palliative care services, including the current and projected demand for palliative care; (ii) access to respite, personal care, domestic assistance, allied health, bereavement support and other practical supports; (iii) the extent to which existing services enable people to receive palliative care in their preferred place, including at home; and (iv) includes a specific and dedicated assessment of paediatric and young people’s palliative care; (d) develop a Territory-wide palliative care action plan addressing identified gaps and setting measurable targets for access, coordination, quality, workforce and outcomes; (e) ensure the action plan includes specific actions and measurable targets for paediatric and young people’s palliative care; and (f) report to the Assembly on the review by 30 June 2027 and publish the proposed palliative care action plan to the Assembly by 31 December 2027Vassarotti.

   Original and final wording compared

   taken out put in

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) palliative care is an essential component of a compassionate and effective health system, supporting people living with life-limiting illness to maximise their quality of life, maintain dignity and, where possible, receive care in the place of their choosing; (b) since 2013, Community Options Palliative Care Program has provided a [taken out: non-clinical][put in: case management]service that assists people to navigate the palliative care system, coordinate appropriate [put in: non-clinical]supports and remain safely and comfortably at home where that is their preference; and (c) [taken out: the Government has not provided ongoing funding for the]Community Options [put in: is funded to deliver the]Palliative Care Program [taken out: beyond][put in: to 31 December 2026. Community Options reports that they have been provided this funding on a year-on-year basis for]the [taken out: 2025-2026 financial][put in: last five years and this is the first]year [put in: since then that that yearly funding will not be provided. Community Options have also invested their own resources to provide those non-clinical services;](2) further notes that: (a) the loss of government funding [taken out: will result in][put in: has contributed to]Community Options Palliative Care ceasing operations; (b) the Community Options Palliative Care Project Evaluation identified significant unmet needs in the ACT palliative care system, including gaps in in-home support, respite, overnight care, allied health and home modifications; (c) the ACT Government’s review of palliative care services in 2023 identified fragmentation across the ACT palliative care system; (d) palliative care is not solely an acute hospital service and must include accessible, coordinated and appropriately funded services delivered in people’s homes and communities; and (e) children and young people living with life-limiting illness have distinct palliative care needs which require age-appropriate, family-centred and coordinated services, including access to appropriate care in the home and community; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) take immediate steps to ensure that Canberrans with life-limiting illness and their families have ongoing access to a dedicated non-clinical, community-based palliative care service, including individualised case management, care coordination, practical and flexible support [put in: and report to the Assembly as to who will be the replacement provider by the last sitting day of 2026;](b) ensure that this service is appropriately and sustainably funded, with funding arrangements sufficient to maintain the workforce, expertise, service capacity and referral pathways necessary to meet demand; (c) undertake a comprehensive review of palliative care services in the ACT, including government and non-government providers, navigation pathways, gaps in clinical and non-clinical services, home-based care, community-based care, hospice care and hospital-based services, and ensure the review examines: (i) the state of palliative care services, including the current and projected demand for palliative care; (ii) access to respite, personal care, domestic assistance, allied health, bereavement support and other practical supports; (iii) the extent to which existing services enable people to receive palliative care in their preferred place, including at home; and (iv) includes a specific and dedicated assessment of paediatric and young people’s palliative care; (d) develop a Territory-wide palliative care action plan addressing identified gaps and setting measurable targets for access, coordination, quality, workforce and outcomes; (e) ensure the action plan includes specific actions and measurable targets for paediatric and young people’s palliative care; and (f) report [put in: to the Assembly]on the review [put in: by 30 June 2027]and [put in: publish]the proposed palliative care action plan to the Assembly by [taken out: 30 June][put in: 31 December]2027.

   Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.