MEDIA RELEASE: COTA Welcomes New Report on a Better Approach to an Older Australia

COTA Australia has warmly welcomed today’s release of the final report of the Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians’ on “Realising the economic potential of senior Australians – turning grey into gold”.

The report was presented to the Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan, at a major conference on the ageing workforce in Melbourne co-sponsored by COTA. COTA Australia Chief Executive Ian Yates said the report’s 36 recommendations present the Federal Government with an urgent and achievable agenda for action that will make Australia a better place to be older, and make Australia more productive.

“We especially welcome recommendations to:

  • establish a Cabinet Minister responsible for a whole of government strategic approach to getting the best value from an ageing population
  • appoint a Housing Minister charged with taking urgent action to increase housing stock and achieve greater efficiency of housing, in order to avert a looming major crisis in affordable and appropriate housing for seniors
  • strengthen age discrimination legislation and fund an education and awareness campaign to tackle ageism and age discrimination and promote positive images of ageing
  • take Federal leadership through COAG to tackle many issues facing an ageing Australia in areas such as housing, employment, lifelong learning and age-friendly communities
  • provide financial support to older people of limited means to facilitate access to and use of broadband technology

“These are all among the recommendations COTA made to the Panel and we are very pleased to see them taken up and put on the government’s agenda

“COTA calls on the Prime Minister and the Treasurer to make the 2012 Federal Budget the ageing and aged care budget by implementing these recommendations and the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on aged care reform”

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