Meals on Wheels saved on the Peninsula until 2029!

The Shire previously planned to stop delivering Meals on Wheels and two other aged care services next July.

Tonight, Councillors have reversed their decision to leave three aged care services next year, preserving meals, transport and social support for Peninsula residents.

Mornington Peninsula Shire will continue delivering Meals on Wheels until at least June 2029, after councillors unanimously reversed their plan to withdraw from federally funded aged care services next year.

Community Transport and Group Social Support will also remain with the Shire for the same period.

In June, council decided to leave all three services from July 2027. It said federal aged care reforms would bring legal, governance and administrative obligations it could not reasonably meet.

The Commonwealth has since extended the existing Home Support Program until June 2029, giving councils more time while the longer-term system is settled. The new provider obligations remain, but councillors decided the funding extension gave the Shire a way to continue.

Councillor Paul Pingiaro acknowledged that the months of uncertainty had been upsetting for people who depend on the services.

“Meals on Wheels, community transport and group social support aren’t just budget lines,” he told Tuesday night’s meeting. “They connect people with food, appointments, community and other people.”

He reserved particular thanks for the volunteers who bring meals to residents’ doors.

“For many people receiving these services, the volunteers who arrive at their door can be the most important interactions they have within that day, week or month,” he said.

The decision means existing clients will not have to move to another provider next July. It also preserves the familiar visits that have made Meals on Wheels more than a food delivery service during its roughly 50 years on the Peninsula.

The Shire’s program delivers about 1,600 meals a week to more than 470 residents, according to figures reported following the meeting. More than 100 volunteers are involved.

Councillors had been offered three options: continue with the withdrawal, retain Meals on Wheels alone, or keep all three services until 2029. They chose to keep all three unanimously.

Pingiaro said council still had financial impacts to work through, but added: “This is where our money needs to go, back into our residents.”

The decision settles who will deliver these services for the next two years. Their future beyond June 2029 will depend on the Commonwealth’s longer-term aged care arrangements.

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