Welcome to Council on the Ageing Queensland
Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland is a peak body and a for-purpose registered charity. We represent older people and facilitate their participation and voice in policy development, service delivery and community planning.
Our organisation evolved from a desperate need to combat age discrimination, address social and economic disadvantage, and protect older people from abuse and mistreatment. Our policy and advocacy work is grounded through many years of providing social relief to older people in need.
Today, we undertake activity such as alleviating the damaging effects of social isolation and loneliness, preventing elder abuse in all its forms, and assisting vulnerable older people needing urgent access to aged care. We deeply value the role and contribution of older people in our communities, and remain concerned for the wellbeing of those forgotten, neglected and marginalised.
As a member of the Council on the Ageing National Alliance, we advocate collectively on national policy. Our advocacy and social support work is made more impactful by partnering with our many collaborators on projects that enable older people to age well.
Supporting Queensland Seniors
As a trusted voice, Council on the Ageing Queensland works with government, businesses, and communities to influence change, ensuring older people are heard and valued. A key priority is supporting an Age-friendly Queensland, where people of all ages – particularly seniors – can live safely, enjoy good health and participate fully in society.
This means fostering inclusive and accessible environments and improving:
- Housing
- Transport
- Outdoor spaces
- Social participation
- Employment and
- Volunteering opportunities.
Through advocacy, community engagement and policy influence, Council on the Ageing Queensland is committed to making Queensland a place where older people can age with dignity independence, and purpose.
As a peak body we
Call for Better Elder Abuse Prevention & Response – Raising awareness, strengthening protections, and ensuring older Queenslanders live free from harm.
Advocate for Inclusive Infrastructure – Pushing for accessible transport across Queensland, affordable and secure housing and public spaces that are conducive to an ageing population.
Tackle Age Discrimination – Driving policies and campaigns that promote respect, inclusion and generate employment and volunteering opportunities for older Queenslanders.
Encourage Digital Inclusion – Ensuring seniors have the skills, confidence, and access to connect and stay connected in an increasingly digital world.
Champion Better Health & Aged Care – Fighting for quality, affordability, and person-centred care that meets the needs of an ageing population.
Strengthen Social Connections – Supporting community organisations that reduce loneliness and build vibrant, intergenerational communities.
How We Work
At Council on the Ageing Queensland we:
- Engage directly with older Queenslanders, their families, carers, service providers, advocates, and government to understand and highlight needs
- Gather insights through community meetings, sector forums, and surveys to inform government policies that improve the lives of older people
- Collaborate on projects with organisations that share our mission to enable older Queenslanders to age well
- Deliver Programs and Services that amplify the voices of older people and create age-friendly communities
Helping Others
– How our Aged Care Navigation team helped a Cairns family
Our Aged Care Navigation service in Cairns helped a 78-year-old woman with limited English skills to independently express her complex care and health needs to an Aged Care assessor through an interpreter.
While her son and husband had helped her liaise with My Aged Care for two years, they’d had trouble accessing any of the services that were part of her CHSP cleaning and home maintenance package.
Supported by our Aged Care Navigator team who helped arrange a free Spanish interpreter (interpreters are required by law), she was able to express her care and health needs autonomously and privately to secure a Home Care Package (HCP) Level 3.
Our navigator team will continue to work with her when the home care package (HCP) is assigned in nine to 12 months to find appropriate services that meet her needs.
Latest News
2023-2024 Annual Report
Learn more about our achievements including our community engagement and sector development including the Home Care Workforce Support Program, our largest project ever.
