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A blueprint released at the National Press Club today detailing policy options for an ageing Australia again shows the need for the Federal Government to take proposed changes to the pension off the table and commit to a better plan for the changing demographics of the nation.

A Federal Government funding injection of $205 million for residential aged care providers has been welcomed by Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia as a sensible supplement to help providers cope with the additional demands arising from the COVID-19 crisis.

Older Australians will welcome a discussion about Australia's taxation system which feeds into an independent retirement incomes review to ensure an equitable, sustainable and stable tax and income security system for all retirees.

Australia is ranked 17th on the Global AgeWatch Index 2015 which ranks 96 countries according to the social and economic wellbeing of older people. Australia is outranked by the Scandinavian countries, most of western Europe, Canada and New Zealand.

For older people, “Digital Autonomy” is the ability to retain awareness and control over their own affairs in the digital space.

COTA Australia says the WHO Global report on Ageism released today, which highlights the prevalence of ageism globally and makes key recommendations for how to combat it, is as relevant in Australia as it is anywhere else in the world.