Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) the number of older people in Australia is anticipated to grow from 4.31 million people aged over 65 years in 2021 to 6.66 million by 2041 with the number of those aged over 85 years anticipated to grow 140 per cent from 534,000 to 1.28 million over that same timeframe;

(b) many older Australians report experiencing age discrimination, elder abuse, financial stress and homelessness;

(c) one in three people report experiencing age discrimination after turning 50, with employment-related and other forms of age discrimination reported, including when accessing businesses and financial and Government services such as My Aged Care;

(d) 20 per cent of pensioners are considering going back to work but barriers in place to their doing so reportedly include dealing with government services including finding digitally-based Services Australia interfaces inaccessible;

(e) 94 per cent of older people are concerned about rising living costs in the long term, 26 per cent are extremely concerned, and 24 per cent of older people report an inability to access dental care due to its cost;

(f) Australia's homeless population is ageing, with the rate of homelessness growing by over 30 per cent between 2011 and 2016 for older women;

(g) one in six older Australians reported experiencing elder abuse (psychological, neglect, financial, physical and/or sexual) in 2021, with higher rates among those experiencing poor health or social isolation; and

(h) many retirement village residents report poor transparency and lax consumer protections and calls have been made for a national review and harmonisation of regulation; and

(2) calls on the Government to establish a portfolio and Minister for Older Australians to:

(a) demonstrate the Government's commitment to older people during a time of demographic change in which Australians are expected to live longer lives, but with increased reliance on key services such as health and aged care;

(b) act as a conduit between Government and the community to better engage with older people on matters which concern them, beyond aged care, and enable a whole of Government approach to policy-making for and with older Australians across multiple sectors and Government agencies;

(c) ensure Government services are accessible and inclusive for all including those who may not have ease of digital access or may be experiencing hearing or vision loss;

(d) champion our older Australians and shift the narrative of older people as vulnerable and in need of support (a 'burden') to more positive aspects of ageing and the contribution older people make to the economy and society;

(e) work with older people and the sector to address key issues including age discrimination, elder abuse, social exclusion and isolation, homelessness, access to and cost of health care, and financial stress; and

(f) reframe the current narrative to recognise that older people helped to build our nation and continue to represent some of our greatest assets, rather than promoting intergenerational competition or conflict.

The Intergenerational report2023 tells us a lot about the shape of our population in years to come. So, too, does targeted research from organisations like the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Council on the Ageing and National Seniors Australia.

We expect the number of older people in Australia to grow from 4.31 million aged over 65—that was the figure in 2021—to 6.6 million by 2041. The number of those aged over 85 years is expected to grow by 140 per cent, from 534,000 to 1.28 million over the same timeframe. The impacts and contributions of older people are growing, and the issues affecting them need to be managed in a strategic and inclusive way.

Many older Australians report experiencing age discrimination, elder abuse, financial stress and homelessness. These issues are regularly raised with me, in my electorate of Mayo, which is the oldest federal electorate by median age and among the oldest in the nation. One in three people report experiencing age discrimination after turning 50. Employment related and other forms of age discrimination are reported, including when accessing businesses and financial and government services such as My Aged Care.

Twenty per cent of pensioners may like to work, but they face barriers. Those include dealing with government services, particularly Centrelink, and finding the digital and phone based interfaces with Services Australia incredibly challenging and inaccessible.

Ninety-four per cent of older people are concerned about the rising cost of living in the long term. Twenty-six per cent are extremely concerned. And one in four report being unable to access dental care, due to the cost.

The rate of homelessness of older women grew by 30 per cent between 2011 and 2016. That reflects, in part, women's lower lifetime earnings and resulting lesser wealth.

Nearly 15 per cent of older Australians reported experiencing elder abuse, whether that was neglect or psychological, financial, physical or sexual abuse, in 2021. There were higher rates among those experiencing poor health and social isolation.

Australians who acquire a disability after age 65 aren't eligible for the NDIS, due to the scheme's inbuilt age discrimination. Older people can only receive lower and often inadequate supports through the My Aged Care system.

So we have all of this data about the experiences of older Australians and the demographic changes we can anticipate. What do we do with this information? What we do is important. This knowledge provides the opportunity to enable older Australians to shape the future now. The existing narrative, I believe, needs to be reframed, to recognise and respect our older generations who helped build this nation and who are continuing to help build this nation. They, to me, represent some of our greatest assets.

That's why I'm calling on the government to establish a portfolio and a minister for older Australians, just as we have a youth portfolio, a portfolio for women and a multicultural portfolio. The minister would provide a conduit between government and the community, to better engage older Australians—on all matters that concern them, not just aged care. Aged care is the only ministerial portfolio that you could say is, technically, for older Australians. But we know that not all older Australians will have a connection with aged care in their lifetime. I believe that this will be essential to develop a coordinated, strategic response to our ageing population and to address issues such as age discrimination, elder abuse, social exclusion, isolation, homelessness and access to aged care. The other important role for the minister would be to champion older Australians and their positive contributions to society.

Too often, there's language that says older people are a burden, and this is just not true. We need to look at the more positive aspects of ageing.

I'd like to thank the Prime Minister for meeting with me and the member for Kennedy and the Chair of National Seniors, Ross Glossop, late last year, to discuss this proposal. Older Australians are our greatest asset, and we need to change this narrative and stop promoting this intergenerational competition. I believe the establishment of a portfolio for older Australians would go a long way to achieving this, and I urge members to support this motion.

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