As older Queenslanders know better than most, the cost of living, housing and access to care continue to place enormous pressure on many people across our community.
This year’s Federal Budget includes important investment in aged care, Medicare and cheaper medicines, and we welcome measures aimed at expanding residential aged care capacity, dementia care and strengthening hospital funding.
We also welcome the Government’s recent decision to classify showering, dressing and continence support as clinical care under Support at Home, meaning older people will not be required to make co contributions for those services.
The continued focus on cheaper medicines and Medicare access is particularly important for older Australians managing chronic illness and rising healthcare costs, especially in regional and rural Queensland where access to GPs, specialists and affordable healthcare is already under strain.
COTA Queensland also welcomes continued investment in Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, with the expansion expected to place around four in five Australians within a 20-minute drive of a clinic. For older Australians, improved access to urgent care has the potential to reduce avoidable hospital presentations and improve access to timely treatment closer to home.
The inclusion of free RSV vaccination for eligible older Australians under the National Immunisation Program is also an important preventative health measure that can help reduce serious illness, hospitalisation and pressure on hospitals and aged care services.
However, many older Queenslanders continue to face rising rents, electricity prices, cost of food and out of pocket healthcare expenses. Financial pressures are particularly acute in many parts of Queensland affected by housing shortages, rising insurance premiums and limited service availability.
The real divide in Australia is increasingly about wealth inequality and financial insecurity, not simply age. Many pensioners, older renters, carers and older women remain under significant financial pressure.
Older women also continue to be one of the fastest growing groups at risk of homelessness in Australia, highlighting the growing connection between housing affordability, financial insecurity and ageing.
Queensland also faces one of the fastest ageing populations in Australia, creating increasing pressure on hospitals, aged care, transport, housing and community services, particularly outside South East Queensland.
One of the biggest issues emerging nationally is the growing number of older Australians stranded in hospitals because they cannot access aged care, rehabilitation, disability support or suitable housing after discharge. Record levels of delayed discharge are now placing major pressure on hospitals and emergency departments, including in Queensland where workforce shortages and aged care access challenges are especially severe in regional communities.
Improving access to aged care and community support is now critical to the functioning of the broader health system.
While the Government has set a target of reducing wait times for aged care support, older Queenslanders now need to see real improvements on the ground, particularly in wait times for assessments, access to services and timely support for people experiencing hardship.
As aged care reforms continue, it will also be important to ensure human oversight within assessment and decision-making processes so decision anomalies and inappropriate care outcomes can be identified and addressed quickly.
Housing affordability and intergenerational fairness were also major themes in the Budget. Proposed changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and investment property arrangements are intended to improve housing affordability and support construction of new homes.
Some self-funded retirees and older Australians with investment assets may face changes to retirement planning and concerns about long term financial security under the proposed reforms. We welcome the Government listening to concerns about transition arrangements and grandfathering provisions for some existing asset holders and retirement planning arrangements.
There is ongoing debate about how these reforms may affect rental supply, rents and housing affordability, particularly for older renters who are already experiencing growing housing stress and homelessness. This is especially important in Queensland where rental pressures remain high across regional, coastal and metropolitan communities.
We support policies that improve housing opportunities for younger Australians, but reforms must avoid creating unintended consequences for older people already experiencing insecurity and disadvantage. Housing stress and cost of living pressure are affecting Australians across generations, although some groups are experiencing these pressures more acutely.
Importantly, as governments look for ways to increase housing supply and reduce construction costs, accessibility and liveability standards within the National Construction Code must not be weakened. Accessible housing is essential to supporting ageing in place, independence and inclusion for older people and people with disability.
We are also increasingly concerned about the impact of changes to the private health insurance rebate for older Australians, particularly retirees on fixed incomes who have maintained private cover throughout their working lives. Many older Australians have relied on private health insurance to provide greater certainty around care and reduce pressure on the public health system.
If rising premiums force older Australians to downgrade or leave private cover altogether, there is a real risk this will place even greater pressure on already stretched public hospitals.
We welcome efforts to strengthen superannuation fund performance and accountability to help protect retirement savings. At the same time, reforms should continue supporting long term investment stability and value for members approaching or in retirement.
Overall, this Budget contains welcomed investment in aged care and health, but significant challenges remain around wait lists, hospital discharge delays, housing affordability, and adequacy of the pension.
COTA Queensland supports COTA Australia’s call for a long-term national ageing strategy that connects aged care, health, housing, retirement income and elder abuse prevention, while recognising the enormous contribution older Australians continue to make to families, communities and the economy. Australia’s ageing population should be recognised as an opportunity and a strength, not simply a future budget challenge.
Media Contact
Darren Young
Chief Executive Officer
Council on the Ageing Queensland
1300 738 348
info@cotaqld.org.au