Older people must be consulted on the new Act: COTA, OPAN

The aged care advocacy bodies Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia and Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) are set to lead a series of forums across the country over the coming weeks, seeking input from those with lived experience into the consultation process on the new Aged Care Act.

The consultations follow the release of the Australian Government’s Consultation Paper on the new Aged Care Act — a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety — as well as the release of principles guiding aged care funding.

The forums will provide input into the government’s Consultation Paper which focuses on foundational elements of the new Act, such as whistleblower protection, supported decision-making arrangements, duty of care and compensation pathways, and a Statement of Rights.

The forums will also provide feedback on the draft funding principles that were recently released by the Aged Care Taskforce, which is examining the options for an equitable and sustainable aged care system.

COTA Australia Chief Executive Officer Patricia Sparrow said, “Improving our Aged Care Act is critical if we’re going to improve our aged care system. It is the foundation for the changes we need to see.

“We’ll be speaking to older people and their families and carers over the coming weeks to ensure that the voices and experiences of those who matter most are heard loud and clear.

“A key recommendation from the Aged Care Royal Commission was that our Aged Care Act needed to be revisited. It’s great that the federal government is finally opening up the conversation about what an Aged Care Act that truly delivers for older Australians looks like.

“We need laws which put the needs of older Australians front and centre,” Sparrow concluded.

OPAN Chief Executive Officer Craig Gear OAM said, “We can’t improve older people’s experience without an Aged Care Act that respects, protects and enforces their rights.

“The current version, which is more than 25 years old, is focused on the operation and funding of aged care services. It is largely divorced from the human experience of older people.

“If we are serious about a rights-based Act that puts older people, and the services they need, front and centre, then it stands to reason that older people must also be front and centre of the discussion.

“Australia is at an aged care crossroads. The actions we take over the next 12 months will be crucial.

“Since older people are the experts in their aged care, we need their input on this major piece of reform to ensure we get it right,” Gear said.

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