BREAKING NEWS Annecto Incorporated closes: Major disability and aged care service provider makes shock announcement
A long-term care company closed after more than 70 years of business, leaving thousands of seniors and people with disabilities just three weeks to find a new provider.
Annecto Incorporated, based in Melbourne 's Footscray, will cease support for those with high-care needs in Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and NSW from July 1.
The not-for-profit on Wednesday announced it will close due to 'financial challenges facing the organisation into the future'.
'We deeply appreciate the support of our community over all these years and the dedication of our staff and partner to high quality of support standards,' Colleen Furnaletto OAM, Annecto chair, said.
The closure will affect some 3,000 customers and 1,000 employees.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australians losing billions in savings due to poor management of appliance efficiency scheme, audit finds
Australian households and businesses are missing out on billions of dollars of power bill savings, an expert has warned, after a scathing audit found the department in charge of the efficiency scheme for appliances has failed to properly administer it. The poor administration of the program has left consumers worse off, said Alan Pears, a senior fellow at RMIT and Melbourne University, who helped develop appliance energy standards in Victoria. Pears warned the program needs a wider rethink, including strengthening 'weak' minimum standards which are preventing people getting access to or buying the most efficient appliances, leading to higher energy bills. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Gems) Act ensures products meet minimum energy performance standards and energy rating label requirements. The labelling requirement includes the energy efficiency star-rating stickers often seen on refrigerators or dishwashers. But the National Audit Office (ANAO) report found the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is not measuring the program's impact on reducing emissions. The report said the department 'is not measuring the program's impact on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions and so cannot demonstrate whether the program is achieving its intended purpose'. Issues flagged in the ANAO report and could negatively impact its credibility, Pears said. Pears said the energy rating stickers 'have a lot of credibility with people' and is 'relied upon' by consumers. 'The issue we face now is, if the program is not being properly administered – and clearly it hasn't been – then the government and the energy sector too are at risk of … losing credibility with consumers.' The department has said the scheme has saved households and businesses between $12bn and $18bn in energy costs since the Act was legislated in 2012. Between 2021 and 2022, it said consumers saved between $1.3bn to $2bn, and greenhouse gas emissions were reduced between 4.1m and 6.3m tonnes. But Pears said the broad gap in estimated figures suggests the scheme isn't working as intended. 'The fact that there's such a wide band reflects the fact that they have some idea but not a very precise idea of what the benefits are,' he said. Pears said that beyond the administrative gaps, the current minimum standards are 'weak' compared to best-practice regions like the European Union or China. For example, the EU began enforcing a new rule this year for the energy consumption of electrical appliances in standby or off-mode, which it says will save consumers up to $950m between now and 2030. If Australia were to raise its standards, Pears said every household or business could save 'thousands' of dollars over the lifetime of each appliance. 'Because our standards are quite weak, we don't necessarily get the most efficient products,' Pears said. Under the legislation, companies test their appliances in approved laboratories according to the minimum standards. Thedata is sent to the climate change department for review. If compliant, the appliance is approved for sale in Australia. The department can perform a 'check test' on products to independently to ensure they are compliant. The audit said the number of check tests has been decreasing over recent years, and haven't targeted areas with the 'greatest risk of non-compliance'. In the financial year 2013-2014 the department conducted 188 check tests, according to the ANAO, but in 2021-22 just 61 models were checked. The department told the ANAO it aims to test between 60 and 70 products annually. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Pears said this can allow some bad actors to get away with subpar testing. Pears said an effective testing program is similar to speed cameras on the road. 'If you think you might get caught for speeding, you'll obey the speed limit. With any regulatory system like appliance efficiency, if you think you might be caught, you're much more likely to do things properly.' Since the program was established in 2012, the department has issued just four infringement notices, none which were paid or enforced. The audit office report said this could 'limit the department's ability to effectively encourage compliance and deter non-compliance'. ANAO's report also found that, in many cases, the same person within the climate change department was in charge of assessing and approving or rejecting a product. 'Without effective segregation of duties, there is risk that products that do not meet the requirements of the relevant Gems determination may be approved for registration. This also increases the risk of human error or corruption,' the report said. Pears also believed information on appliance efficiency stickers should be improved. He wants the government to spend more money to improve consumers' understanding of the rating system, and ensure the system is fit for purpose. 'You have to be careful because the star rating is based on the size of the appliance, not necessarily on its actual energy use. So if you've got a seven-star enormous television, that can still be using a lot more energy than a much smaller TV that's got a low star rating.' The department responded to the audit, accepting all of its nine recommendations, and said work is already under way to improve the program. ANAO recommended check testing be targeted to areas with the greatest risk of non-compliance. It also recommended the department develop performance measures to assess the effectiveness of the program in achieving its outcomes. In a statement, the department confirmed it has established a taskforce to improve the program, and has begun 'expanding the availability of check facilities' to encourage better compliance.
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Legacy-making' Sydney metro stations take out top prize in NSW Architecture awards
Sydney's recently opened network of city metro stations have taken out one of the top prizes at the Australian Institute of Architects' 2025 NSW Architecture awards, announced on Friday night. Dozens of Australian architecture firms, engineering companies, landscape designers and public art experts shared in the 2025 NSW architecture medallion for their work on the Central, Barangaroo, Gadigal, Victoria Cross, Martin Place, Waterloo, Sydenham and Crows Nest stations in what the judges hailed as a 'legacy-making' and 'city-shaping' cross-sector collaboration. 'The project is transformative, not just in transport terms but in how it redefines civic experience in Sydney,' the judges' citation said. 'This is infrastructure that supports not just movement, but social and cultural connection as a catalyst for future development and change. It demonstrates the far-reaching impact architects can have on shaping public life and delivering tangible benefit to society and the environment.' More than 130 NSW projects were shortlisted for the awards, with the first building constructed for the new city of Bradfield and the surrounding area of Aerotropolis – the site of Sydney's future second international airport – collecting the Premier's prize. Hassell's First Building – the first stage of an advanced manufacturing readiness facility – is a prefabricated timber pavilion that can be disassembled, expanded or relocated for future use. 'A new city requires a big dream … it's incredibly exciting to see that dream taking shape here in Bradfield,' the premier, Chris Minns, said of the Hassell design. 'The way this building plays with natural light, the way it sits at home in the landscape, it's incredible attention to detail, it's craftsmanship – not to mention the innovation and progress that will happen here. In short, it's a beautiful place.' GroupGSA's restoration of a collection of early 20th-century industrial buildings in Rosebery won the Lord Mayor's prize – restricted to projects within the City of Sydney – for the project's imaginative commitment to heritage, sustainability and urban vitality. The brick factories and industrial sheds, constructed between 1921 and 1940, and the neighbouring textile mills have been unified into a single precinct, connected by a central pedestrian spine that knits tenant spaces, showrooms and retail outlets together and presents a freshly energised street front for passersby. 'This is not capital-A architecture,' the judges said. '[It is] the result of extraordinarily skilful handling – in patching, opening up and scrapping back found fabric – creating an interesting, cohesive experience for workers, visitors and the neighbourhood.' 'Like a trifle made to a cook's whim' was how judges described BVN's Yarrila Place, in Coffs Harbour, which won the Sulman medal for public architecture. The new civic and cultural space in the north coast town emerges from the ground with a solid brick base before giving way to deep green ceramic panes, curved and glazed like leaves of the enormous fig tree the building is anchored to. 'BVN have taken all the ingredients of a civic hub – library, gallery, museum, makerspace, civic offices and chambers, and more – and layered them with deliberate unpredictability,' the judges said. 'Proportions, adjacencies and stackings defy conventions.' Heritage work was acknowledged with Design 5's massive remodelling of the White Bay power station, which collected the Greenway award for heritage, while the conservation award was won by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Purcell Architecture for its research-led, methodical and careful approach to restoring Australia's oldest building in continuous use, the NSW Parliament House in Sydney. The Colorbond award for steel architecture went to a residential house in Leura. Marra+Yeh Architects' Eco-House, set in a rare hanging swamp, was praised for its holistic and deeply thoughtful approach to sustainable architecture. The house's roof design deflects prevailing winds and captures water for reuse in bushfire defence and irrigation, while its interior configuration is season adaptable, ensuring comfort and minimal energy use year round. BVN collected another award in the residential category for its transformation of a typical suburban block of land in Byron Bay into a dwelling christened the Lighthouse, which seamlessly blends interior with exterior with an open, central garden forming both the entry and heart of the home. Also in the residential category, Casey Brown Architecture was recognised for its major interior remodelling of Babylon, architect Edwin Kingsberry's eccentric 1950s residence perched on the ridge dividing Pittwater and Avalon. Its new interior was 'full of contradictions – ramshackle and refined, rich and restrained,' judges said. The final result was a highly original interior that was 'unexpected, joyful, and completely unique'. Among the dozens of other winners, of particular note were AJC Architects' win in the Enduring Architecture category for its Moore Park Gardens residential project in Sydney and Tzannes' 39 Martin Place, which won the Sir Arthur G Stephenson award for commercial architecture. Wardle's handsome industrial park of the future design, Bourke & Bowden, situated in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Alexandria, was also recognised in the commercial category. The Australian Institute of Architects' NSW president, Elizabeth Carpenter, said in a statement the 2025 winners highlighted a profession that was 'not only responding to urgent challenges, but leading with integrity, innovation and care'. 'The awarded projects are powerful reminders that architecture is both an art and a responsibility – one that connects communities, strengthens cultural understanding, and shapes more sustainable and inclusive futures,' she said.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Panic mounts as social security's cash shortfall date revealed
The US Social Security and Medicare programs for seniors will both run short of funds to pay full benefits in 2033. The go-broke dates the two trust funds have moved up due to rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits, according to an annual report released Wednesday. The yearly assessment found that Medicare's hospital insurance trust fund will be unable to fully cover costs beginning in 2033 — three years earlier than last year's estimate. Higher-than-forecast hospitalizations of Americans over 65 years old was a key factor. Social Security's combined trust funds, which support retirement and disability benefits to 70 million Americans, are also expected to be depleted in 2033. While the year was unchanged from last year's report, it was advanced by three calendar quarters within that year. The projections reflect higher-than-expected healthcare spending, along with recent legislation that increased Social Security benefits for some workers. Once the funds are exhausted, beneficiaries would still receive payments, but at reduced levels. Medicare would be able to cover just 89 percent of hospital costs, while Social Security could pay only about 81 percent of promised benefits. The trustees say the latest findings show the urgency of needed changes to the programs, which have faced dire financial projections for decades. But making changes to the programs has long been politically unpopular, and lawmakers have repeatedly kicked Social Security and Medicare´s troubling math to the next generation. President Donald Trump and other Republicans have vowed not to make any cuts to Medicare or Social Security, even as they seek to shrink the federal government´s expenditures. 'The financial status of the trust funds remains a top priority for the administration,' said Social Security Administration commissioner Frank Bisignano (pictured) in a statement. The new forecast adds urgency to a long-standing challenge facing Congress, which has repeatedly delayed making reforms due to political sensitivity around the issue. Lawmakers would need to act — either by raising taxes, reducing benefits, or both —to ensure long-term solvency. President Donald Trump and many Republican lawmakers have pledged not to cut Medicare or Social Security benefits, but critics say recent legislative changes have worsened the programs' financial outlook. One provision enacted in January—the Social Security Fairness Act—eliminated two rules that had reduced benefits for certain workers, effectively increasing payments and accelerating the trust fund's projected depletion. Romina Boccia (pictured), director of budget and entitlement policy at the CATO Institute, called the change 'a political giveaway masquerading as reform.' Instead of tackling Social Security´s structural imbalances, Congress chose to increase benefits for a vocal minority-accelerating trust fund insolvency.' About 68 million Americans are currently enrolled in Medicare, and more than 70 million receive Social Security benefits. Both programs are primarily funded through payroll taxes, but costs are projected to outpace revenues due to the country's aging population and rising healthcare expenses. Experts say failure to act soon could result in sudden benefit cuts and instability for millions of retirees and disabled Americans. 'Congress must act to protect and strengthen the Social Security that Americans have earned and paid into,' said AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan (pictured). Several policy proposals have been floated in recent years, but none have gained significant momentum. The last major reform to Social Security came in 1983, when the eligibility age for full retirement benefits was raised from 65 to 67. Without further legislative changes, the federal programs that serve as the backbone of retirement security in the US could face significant challenges within the next decade. Last year, billionaire CEO Larry Fink (pictured) said Americans should work beyond the age of 65 to stop the Social Security system collapsing. Meanwhile, experts recently said Americans are making a big mistake by claiming their Social Security checks early, since delaying their claims could lead to higher payments. Every year you delay taking a Social Security payment after full retirement age you receive a significant increase in payments up to the age of 70.
