Confirmation that the Coalition will continue to implement the Living Longer Living Better aged care reforms the sector fought so hard for will be a relief for older Australians seeking increased care in their home, peak seniors advocate COTA Australia said today.
Responding to the release of the Coalition’s policy Healthy Life Better Ageing, COTA Australia CE Ian Yates said he welcomed the consultative approach the Coalition is taking to the development of the five-year agreement to go beyond the current reforms and the commitment that this will be guided by the Productivity Commission’s report.
“The Coalition’s aged care policy recognises the need for older Australians to be able to access quality care when they need it.
“Continuing the aged care reforms legislated in the last Parliament will ensure we stay on track to meet the growing demand for even better aged care services in the future.
“The Coalition’s additional commitment to independent complaints and quality assurance processes is
welcome – indeed it is needed to ensure quality is continually improved and that older people and their
families have recourse when things do go wrong in aged care.
“However we would need to see more detail to be reassured that measures to cut red tape and streamline
accreditation are not at the expense of consumer protections.
“Strategies to support increased wages to assist with the retention and expansion of the aged care workforce must be developed as a priority given the Coalition plans to move away from the Workforce Compact. A skilled workforce is key to meeting the needs of our ageing population for high quality support and care.”
Mr Yates said COTA looked forward to working with the Coalition to develop and implement the five-year agreement should they win office this weekend.
“There is still much to be done to implement the full recommendations of the report of the Productivity
Commission.
“The voice of older Australians must drive the continued improvement of Australia’s aged care system in the coming years.”
Media contact: Ian Yates 0418 835 439, Jane Garcia 0434 489 533
