Australia’s peak seniors advocacy body, COTA Australia, today called for expeditious passage through the Senate of the Government’s Living Longer Living Better aged care reforms.
COTA Chief Executive Ian Yates said the package of five aged care bills is scheduled for debate in the Senate today (Tuesday 18th June) and needs to be dealt with promptly so the reforms can start as planned on 1 July.
“This legislation is critical to improving the lives of older Australians who need aged care and miss out now, and their suffering families.
“Over the next decade reform will deliver services to hundreds of thousands of extra people in their own homes, which is where most people prefer to be as they age.
“For the first time this legislation will also give people choice and control over what kinds of services they receive, when and from whom.
“Residential aged care providers will have a better funding base too, with increased government subsidies for those residents who need assistance and more flexibility in charging those who can afford to pay.
“Another first is a one-stop gateway for aged care information, advice, assessment and connection to services. This will take away a lot of the confusion for older people and their families, who often don’t even know where to start.
“These are important and major changes which the aged care sector has been actively fighting for since 2009.”
Mr Yates said that the sector remained concerned that the legislation may not pass in time for the planned roll out starting on 1 July. It had previously stalled in the House of Representatives.
“We urge Senators to consider the legislation and any amendments to it expeditiously and ensure the Bills are not lost in the political turmoil of the last fortnight of this term.
“These changes will help Australia provide a higher quality aged care system to a growing ageing population and are too important to all Australians to be derailed by party politics or leadership jostling.“
Media contact: Ian Yates 0418 835 439, Olivia Greentree 0439 411 774
