Soon our elected politicians will be asked to make a decision on the release of the Federal Government’s response to the Aged Care Taskforce.
With reform of this magnitude, it’s common for governments of all persuasions to call for bipartisan support, but on this occasion, we need the support of all corners of parliament, and the Australian people.
Aged care will affect every Australian, now or in the future, so now is the time to get it right.
We need to build an aged care sector that we can be proud of. Australia’s population is ageing, and the Australian people are increasingly expecting higher levels of care. It’s also something that they deserve.
We need to urgently modernise aged care’s funding model
Every Australian should have access to high-quality aged care, regardless of their location, income or financial means. To do this we need to urgently modernise aged care’s funding model.
Our aged care sector has lost billions of dollars over the last five years, making it almost impossible to invest in and grow services to cater for the increasing numbers of people who need them. Lenders won’t lend money to providers to fix these problems because they can’t afford to pay back those loans, creating a vicious cycle.
Under the taskforce’s recommendations, the government would remain the primary funder of aged care, but people receiving services, and who can afford to, would be asked to contribute more towards the cost of things they have typically paid for their whole lives. Things like accommodation, living expenses and some home care services.
A strong safety net would continue to be in place to ensure nobody misses out on critical services if they cannot afford to contribute.
The unavoidable truth is that aged care needs far greater investment to deliver the services the royal commission challenged us to provide, and that the community expects.
It’s an argument that harks back to the great Australian tradition of a fair go
The hardest question is how to balance the fairness of asking older Australians with financial means to make a greater financial contribution towards their living costs as they receive care, against the fairness of asking a shrinking percentage of working-age Australians to shoulder an even greater burden.
It’s an argument that harks back to the great Australian tradition of a fair go, and it’s something I’m calling on all Australians to get behind, not just our elected politicians.
The future of Australian aged care depends on it.
Tom Symondson is chief executive officer of Aged & Community Care Providers Association
More stakeholder views from this edition
- Patricia Sparrow: Older Australians need certainty
- Christina Wyatt: Reform impacts on occupational therapy
- Dr Claudia Myer: Sustainability depends on careful implementation
We hope you enjoyed this article – please add your comments below
Visit our features portal for more in-depth stories
