Support critical aged care reforms
Every day that passes, our chance to pass reforms within this term of this parliament – and before the next election – slips through our fingers, writes Tom Symondson.
Recently, we took time to celebrate the unsung heroes of the aged care sector – our fabulous workers – for Aged Care Employee Day.
It’s a day when we recognise the dedication and hard work of the 370,000 workers who care for more than 1.5 million older Australians.
They’re the managers, personal carers, nurses, kitchen and laundry staff, diversional therapy staff, allied health professionals, administrators, gardeners or volunteers, who have all worked above and beyond the call of duty to keep older people in the community cared for and safe.
From me, and all the team at ACCPA, thanks for a job well done. Thanks for caring.
Now, it’s time for politicians of all persuasions and all Australians to get behind the sector and support critical aged care reforms. Every day that passes, our chance to pass reforms within this term of this parliament – and before the next election – slips through our fingers.
We need to enable a sustainable, innovative and high-performing aged care sector
Aged care will affect almost every Australian now or in the future, so we need to establish policy and financial settings that enable a sustainable, innovative and high-performing aged care sector. A sector we can all be proud of.
I was a member of the government’s Aged Care Taskforce, which brought together unions, economists, consumers, accountants, and aged care experts to answer the question of how we fund aged care now, and in the future, to meet the needs of Australia’s ageing population.
As a member of the taskforce, I can say this has been an open process with genuine negotiations and consultation with older people, providers, unions and many others over many months.
The time for further consultation is almost up
We spent six months in widespread consultations with stakeholders and interest groups before coming up with a final report. That was in December last year. Since then, the government and the opposition have been in talks in the hope of taking the taskforce recommendations to parliament with bi-partisan support.
I believe there’s genuine goodwill to reach agreement, but the time for further consultation is almost up.
For the sake of older Australians and the survival of our sector, we need to urgently progress this. This is one of the final, critical pieces that will help us address the recommendations of the royal commission. The findings of the Aged Care Taskforce are also central to making the new rights-based Aged Care Act possible.
So, let’s get behind the sector; get behind those dedicated aged care workers we celebrated on Aged Care Employee Day; and get behind every older person that we cherish. The time for action is now.
Tom Symondson is chief executive officer of Aged & Community Care Providers Association
More stakeholder views from this edition
- Daniel Gannon: The budget’s care deficit should concern everyone
- Patricia Sparrow A minister for ageing is good news for seniors
- Dr Claudia Meyer A bespoke aged care pathway for First Nations people
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