COTA Australia’s supplementary submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee strengthens our call not to proceed with removing the additional age-based private health insurance rebate.
COTA Australia broadly supports the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026, including establishing a statutory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and making temporary aged care system modifications permanent.
COTA Australia's submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee argues that removing the age-based private health insurance rebate would deepen an existing structural healthcare inequity, as well as make private health insurance unaffordable for most older Australians.
COTA Australia’s submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the Support at Home Program supports the program’s rights-based objectives, but argues it is not yet reliably delivering timely, affordable and person-centred support for older Australians.
COTA Australia's submission argues that mature-age jobseekers, and older women returning to work after caring responsibilities in particular, must be designed into the new employment services system from the outset, not treated as an afterthought.
COTA Australia's submission argues that fee transparency, including informed financial consent, must be a legally enforceable consumer right, with older Australians facing acute risk from unexpected medical costs and split billing practices.
COTA Australia's submission argues that violence against older women is a lifelong, gendered issue, not simply 'elder abuse', and calls for safe housing, financial support and trauma informed navigators to help older women reach safety.
COTA Australia supports a strong and enforceable General Insurance Code of Practice but is concerned the proposed redraft weakens existing commitments and places too many important consumer protections in unenforceable guidance.
We support the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Australia, but we have concerns about who will pay for it. Our submission to the Australian Energy Market Commission argues that the energy transition must be fair and affordable for all Australians, not just those who can afford an electric vehicle.
COTA Australia supports strengthening and expanding the superannuation performance test to improve transparency, accountability and consumer outcomes, particularly for older Australians and retirees.
COTA Australia makes five key recommendations. Overall, COTA Australia supports the inquiry’s focus on improving tax fairness while emphasising the need to balance intergenerational equity with retirement security, confidence and practical transition arrangements.
In the submission we raise some concern that the current media and policy debate on housing, risks intergenerational conflict rather than solidarity.
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