Better planning is urgently required if Australia is to embrace the opportunities and meet the challenges of Australia’s ageing population said leading seniors advocate COTA Australia responding to a new Productivity Commission report released today.
The report, An Ageing Australia: Preparing for the Future reveals Australia’s population is projected to rise to around 38 million by 2060 which it says will apply huge pressure on future budgets.
Ian Yates, COTA Australia Chief Executive, said the report emphasised the challenges of the ageing population without properly looking at the great positives that it can also bring.
“With that rebalancing, this report would provide a great platform from which to begin a serious debate on strategies and policies which need to be put in place now so older people over coming decades can age well and continue to contribute to society for as long as possible,” Mr Yates said.
“There are still many barriers to workforce and civic participation for older people and more needs to be done to enable older people the flexibility to stay in paid employment, or volunteering or other productive economic pursuits for as long as they choose.
“This requires a focus on addressing age discrimination in the workplace and our broader society and looking at strategies which enable older people greater flexibility in the workplace as they grow older.
“Taking a different, whole of life approach to health services, investing in health promotion, illness prevention, and supported self management of chronic illnesses would also result in massive savings to the health budget while improving the standard of life for potentially millions of older people.
“Other more innovative ideas such as linking pension age to life expectancy and older enabling older people to draw down the equity in their home to help fund aged care are worth considering – but these policies need to be reviewed as part of a broader, integrated, whole of government approach to ageing.”
Mr Yates encouraged the new Federal Government to use this, and other similar Productivity Commission reports, to come together with representative bodies like COTA to map out a whole of government approach to the ageing population.
“The facts are clear – our population is ageing and we will face some great pressures in the future if we don’t put good policy in place now.
“We have a real opportunity to get this right and I urge the new Abbott Government to start now.”
Media contact: Ian Yates 0418 835 439, Jane Garcia 0434 489 533
