Fix Private Health Insurance for Older Australians – Add your voice and SIGN PETITION HERE
Parliament must ensure changes to the aged care assessment system give assessors a clear and timely way to correct decisions that don’t reflect an older person’s care needs, COTA Australia says.
Twenty-six organisations from the banking, superannuation, financial services, legal, community and government sectors have joined forces to strengthen Australia’s response to financial abuse of older people.
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 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.
Australia must focus on delivering the action needed to stop elder abuse or risk tens of thousands more older Australians being abused, COTA Australia says.
The call marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day today, 15 June.
In the submission we raise some concern that the current media and policy debate on housing, risks intergenerational conflict rather than solidarity.
COTA Australia Chief Executive, Patricia Sparrow, said addressing the shockingly high number of older Australians experiencing abuse – often at the hands of someone they trust – must be a national priority.
COTA Australia’s submission to the Senate Committee on the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 calls for targeted amendments to strengthen protections, transparency, and timely access to care for older Australians.
COTA Australia’s submission on the Australian Government’s Aged Care Rules – Release 4a, calls for stronger protections when aged care services are ceased.
The COTA Alliance (COTA Australia and the State and Territory COTAs) submission is welcoming of the second National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older Australians.
COTA Australia welcomes the implementation of a National Housing Consumer Council providing a consumer voice and lived experience expertise to inform housing policy and planning and enable important housing issues to be escalated to the Commonwealth housing minister.