I work in community services - a non-government incorporated body doing the impossible on a grant. In today's mail I was outraged to find the glossiest, most expensive useless claptrap from the Minister for Aged Care, a booklet for the Minister's Awards for Excellence.)

The color, the graphic design, the 'excellence' of this paperwork sickens me when I think of the cuts that have been made in the aged care facilities under her term of office.

The numbers of carers are reduced and there is no time for staff to have any social interaction with residents. If two residents have medical emergencies, the whole place is in uproar and the rest of the staff have to run to try to keep up with the work.

Yet there is money for Her to be on a useless poster nearly wrapped in an Australia flag, also included in the envelope.

The farce of this all - the resources should go into credible accreditation, not self congratulatory back patting.

At my mother's nursing home, the week of accreditation was bizarre:

• The place was crawling with 'volunteers' (staff off-duty with volunteer badges on) putting on an outdoor barbeque for residents who haven't felt sunshine for the previous three years and probably won't again.
• New furniture graces the hallways with elaborate artificial flower arrangements, while true volunteers who come daily (yes, daily) to feed at least 6 residents because they feel the need to help feed these people while the food is hot.

Please keep telling those in the country who will listen or read how often the Emperors are without clothes.

Why aren't there more people calling things the way they really are? Doesn't anyone else see it? Or do they think it isn't important?

In my job we get most federal and state government award schemes and other projects and new program info. After 14 years in this job, I despair.

There are more people employed to tell the service providers why they can't do the things they see need to be done for the people than there are people doing the job.

It is documented that one person replied to a survey "It took 20m minutes for the fellow to ask me all the questions to determine whether I was eligible to have his service change my light globe."

I'll stop here. Please keep me as anonymous as I'm not very brave and have used my work email to rant on rather than my home one. (I lose steam by the time I get home)