Minister for the ages: new voice of older Australians
National Seniors has long advocated for a dedicated Minister for Older Australians. A ministerial reshuffle has delivered a welcomed Assistant Minister for Ageing but does this appointment go far enough?
Issues for the Assistant Minister
What should the Assistant Minister for Ageing do?
Among other matters, National Seniors wants the Assistant Minister to champion a range of issues facing older people, including concerns about the rising cost of living, access to health care and dental care, barriers to going back to work, homelessness, elder abuse, lax consumer protections for seniors in retirement villages, cyber security threats, and digital and literacy exclusion.
These are just some of the issues National Seniors members have raised which form key pillars of National Seniors Australia advocacy agenda.
An Assistant Minister for Ageing should:
• Demonstrate the government’s commitment to older people during a time of demographic change in which Australians are expected to live longer but with increased reliance on key services such as health and aged care
• Act as a conduit between government and the community to better engage with older people on matters beyond aged care, and enable a whole of-government approach to policymaking for and with older Australians across multiple sectors and government agencies
• 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
• 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
• Reframe the current narrative to recognise that older people helped build our nation and continue to represent some of our greatest assets, rather than promote intergenerational competition or conflict.
It has been a feature of the current Federal Government that while Australia has dedicated portfolios for women, youth, and the multicultural community, there has been no dedicated Minister for Older Australians.
While previous governments have had portfolios that focused on the broader interests and concerns of older people, the Albanese government has a focus on aged care with no more than three MPs with aged care in their purview. Mark Butler is the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Anika Wells is the Minister for Aged Care, and Ged Kearney is the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care.
Understandably, there is a strong focus on aged care, given the recent royal commission, and that aged care is the fourth most expensive program in the Federal Budget ($36 billion in 2024-25). But none of these ministers could be said to holistically represent the growing demographic that is older Australia.
Other matters of concern to older Australians and their families such as social services, retirement income, discrimination, elder abuse, homelessness, cost-of-living pressures, cyber safety threats, and financial and digital literacy, are spread across a range of portfolios and government departments even though some, such as superannuation and Age Pension, have significant impacts on older people.
Most state and territory governments have ministerial responsibility for older people. So why not in the federal sphere? Under previous governments, older Australians had a ministerial voice.
It has been a long-standing advocacy commitment of National Seniors Australia that the needs of older Australians are far broader than aged care and should be represented and managed by a dedicated Minister for Older Australians.
In July, following a cabinet reshuffle, we welcomed the reinstatement of a dedicated seniors assistant minister.
The Prime Minister gave the job to Kate Thwaites, Member for Jagajaga in Victoria. She has the title of Assistant Minister for Social Security, Assistant Minister for Ageing, and Assistant Minister for Women.
Mr Butler, Ms Wells and Mr Kearney retain ‘aged care’ in their ministerial titles. So, it could be argued the interests of older Australians are better served by having four ministers with responsibility for older people in their title.
In July, National Seniors supported Independent Federal Member for Mayo, Rebekha Sharkie’s call for a Minister for Older Australians. Ms Sharkie is a co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Seniors. Ms Thwaites' appointment followed National Seniors’ lobbying, including a meeting between Ms Sharkie, National Seniors Chairman, Ross Glossop, the Prime Minister, and the Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter.
National Seniors CEO, Chris Grice, says Ms Thwaites' appointment is recognition that older Australians need to be better represented in the Federal Government. He says the issues facing older Australians are many and touch on multiple ministries and portfolios, far beyond aged care.
“It’s a timely appointment. According to the 2023 Intergenerational Report, the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double and the number aged 85 and over will more than triple. We need to plan for this impact and opportunity now,” Mr Grice says.
“Representation is about ensuring the social, physical, and economic contributions of all older Australians are understood and reflected in good public policy. Older Australians support the economy and society in many ways, but they also have specific and diverse needs.
“A successful Assistant Minister for Ageing will understand older people and be able to communicate their needs to colleagues and to the wider public, ensuring better outcomes.
“This is an opportunity for government to give millions of older Australians a stronger say within government.
“There is a misconception older Australians are living well off high inflation. However, pressures from rising private health insurance costs, and out-of-pocket expenses, rising living costs including rent, fuel, and grocery increases erode most of these gains.
“National Seniors Australia appreciated meeting with Ms Thwaites in Canberra in August- within only weeks of her appointment and looks forward to working with Ms Thwaites to ensure this growing cohort has both the support and recognition it needs and deserves.”
With 2021-30 declared the Decade of Healthy Ageing by the United Nations, and the proportion of older people expected to grow, Australia has the opportunity to plan for this impact.
Mr Grice says there’s a need to change the way older people are perceived. While an Assistant Minister for Ageing is a positive first step, a Minister for Older Australians will ensure this growing cohort has a critical seat at the cabinet table.
“Representation is about creating a voice for their concerns to be heard.”
This article is featured in National Seniors Australia’s quarterly member magazine, Our Generation.
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