The below is a list of known policies announced by the Liberal/Nationals, the ALP or the Australian Greens during the 2019 Federal Election as at 14 May 2019.
You can read COTA Australia’s Federal Election Statement here.
1. An ongoing commitment to whole-of-Government ageing initiatives
Liberal / National – no relevant announcements, but introduced the More Choice for a Longer Life suite of individual changes across multiple Departments as part of 2018 Budget, maintains a More Choices Interdepartmental Committee, and is reporting on progress of initiatives.
ALP – no relevant announcements
Greens – no relevant announcements
2. Empowering older Australians to receive safe and high-quality Aged Care
Liberal / National
- $10M for CALD-specific aged care system navigators
A statement on supporting older Australians that includes:- $34M for Aged Care Workforce Research
- $10 million to develop a Seniors Connected Program to address loneliness
- A goal of reaching 475,000 aged care workers in Australia by 2025 through an aged care industry pilot
- Expansion of Community Visitors Program
It should also be acknowledged that a range of reform measures in aged care (part of the 2018 More Choices package) are in implementation, such the Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission (Phase 1 from January 2019, Phase 2 from January 2020); and from 1 July 2019 the new Charter of Aged Care Rights; new Aged Care Standards; Home Care pricing transparency; streamlined single assessment (from 1 July 2020) and a range of other measures including a trial of a new Residential care funding instrument.
ALP
- A statement on improving aged care which includes:
- Immediately work out how to ensure older Australians who are most at need are prioritised for home care packages
- Publishing the ‘skills mix’ of the workforce at every residential aged care facility
- Ensure that all residential aged care facilities have at least one registered nurse, on site, 24 hours a day (24/7)
- Provide proper incentives for GPs to do home visits and provide services in residential aged care
- Speed up the implementation of the Matter of Care workforce strategy
- Investigate how to improve access to home care packages (including increasing staffing levels and skills)
- Improve training for staff on dementia including specialist dementia nurse scholarships.
- Make dementia a national health priority
- Reduce the complexities of multiple interaction between different Government departments (e.g. Centrelink, My Aged Care), aged care providers and the health care system for people experiencing dementia
- Establish programs that provide increased support for LGBTI, Indigenous and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) older Australians
- 20,000 TAFE places for people studying disability and aged care
- $100M for CALD-specific aged care services
Greens
The Australian Greens have released an aged care policy which includes:
- A human rights based approach to aged care
- 50,000 new high-level home care packages
- $3 billion increased funding to residential care to
- Increase hours of care provided to each resident in residential aged care to four hours and eighteen minutes per day
- Require staff-to-resident ratios that ensure an adequate level of care including a minimum of one registered nurse rostered 24/7
- Increase pay for aged care workers by 15%
- End the use of chemical and physical restraints in aged care facilities
- Review the Aged Care Funding Instrument
3. Affordable oral and dental health for older Australians
Liberal / National – no relevant announcements
ALP – Pensioner Dental Plan – $2.4B investment to provide all age pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders access to $1,000 worth of dental services every two years as part of Medicare for the first time
Greens – Denticare – $1000 per person every two years starting from 1 July 2020 for pensioners and 1 July 2022 for concession card holders.
4. A comprehensive retirement incomes review
Liberal / National – no relevant announcements
ALP – No commitment to a review but a number of relevant announcements including:
- Improve low-income and women’s superannuation balances – through phasing out $450 a month, ability for employers to pay women higher superannuation, payment of superannuation on paid parental leave.
- Introduction of a ‘Council of Superannuation Custodians’ to recommend changes to superannuation every 5 years in line with the release of the intergenerational report.
- Removing Franking credit refunds from ATO where people don’t pay tax from 1 July 2019 (Dividend Imputation Policy), with a ‘Pensioner Guarantee’ for people who receive a Government pensions or allowances (e.g. age pension or part pension) and self-managed super funds that included at least pensioner as at 28 March 2018.
- Changes to Negative Gearing – Limit negative gearing to new housing from 1 January 2020 and Halve the capital gains tax discount for all assets purchased after 1 January 2020.
- Changes to Superannuation Tax Concessions – reducing the annial non-concessional cap from $100K to $75K per annum, lowering the High Income Super Contribution threshold (30% tax rate) from $250K to $200K per annum, reverse the introduction of catch-up contributions for concessional contributions, and changes to tax deductibility for personal contributions)
- Improve ability for workers to pursue unpaid superannuation
- A commitment to review Newstart
Greens – No commitment to a review but a number of relevant announcements including:
5. Tackling Age Discrimination in Employment and elsewhere
Liberal / National – no relevant announcements
ALP – 30% reduction on income tax for new workers over 55 hired by small businesses with under $10M turnover
Greens – no directly relevant announcements, but Future of Work Commission may improve employment outcomes for older workers
6. Raise the Rate of Newstart by $75 per week for singles
Liberal / National – no relevant announcements
ALP – A commitment to review Newstart, noting Mr Shorten indicated during the campaign the review would not reduce Newstart.
Greens – A commitment to raise Newstart by $75 per week
7. Action on housing affordability and homelessness
Liberal / National – no relevant announcements
ALP – A range of policies on Housing Affordability including a Minister for Housing and Homelessness (but no commitment to increase Rent Assistance by 40%)
Greens – A range of housing policies including 500,000 new affordable homes, changes to the amount & frequency of rent rises and funding for crisis housing services.
8. Reducing Cost of Living pressures – Introduce an internet supplement for pensioners
Liberal / National – no relevant announcements
ALP – Digital Inclusion Drive to get more elderly and low-income households connected to the NBN (but does not include commitments regarding cost of living)
Greens – Commits to a Federal Telecommunications Concession of $60 each quarter
Other Election Announcements relevant to older Australians
Liberal / National
- $448.5 million funding and GP service model that will allow Australians over 70 to receive to receive more personalised, consistent and coordinated care from their GP
- $10M campaign to raise awareness for bowel cancer screening amongst Australian’s 50-74 years
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme – lower safety net thresholds and more drugs listed
ALP
- A commitment to ‘protect the pension’ (however no detail of what the ALP will do, policy restates opposition to proposed changes by Liberal/Nationals)
- Medicare Cancer Plan
- Cap Private Health Insurance premium increases to 2% for next two years.
- Improve Centrelink wait times by employing 1200 new staff
Greens
- Plan to support Grandparent Carers
Link to party policies
Liberal / National – Read all their policies here: https://www.liberal.org.au/our-policies
ALP – Read all their policies here: https://alp.org.au/policies
Greens – Read Older Australian’s policy here: https://greens.org.au/policies/older-people and the Green’ s full election policy document here
United Australia Party – View all their policies here: https://www.unitedaustraliaparty.org.au/2019-election-launch-and-policy-speech/
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party – Read their older Australians policy here: https://www.onenation.org.au/policies/pensioners/ and all policies here: https://www.onenation.org.au/policies/
Australian Conservatives – Read all their policies here: https://www.conservatives.org.au/our_policies