We Must Have a Bipartisan Approach

The sector will call upon the federal government and opposition to adopt a bipartisan approach to aged care reform, following the release of the Productivity Commission’s (PC) final report from its inquiry into aged care later this month.

National Aged Care Alliance (NACA) representatives have confirmed that, during a private meeting this week, the collective's members discussed the notion of seeking a bipartisan approach to reform.

CEO of Council on the Ageing Australia and a member of the NACA Sponsors Group, Ian Yates, said that this move would ensure that aged care reform does not end up as political fodder.

“2012 is the year of the aged care budget,” said Mr Yates.

“It is vitally important that aged care reform has bipartisan support.

“Aged care is an issue the [government] needs to address and we believe that there is nothing in the PC report to which the opposition would have any philosophical or policy objection.

“They [don’t need to agree] on every detail but they do need to get the basic structure of aged care reform up.

“Principle must come in front of political expediency.”

Aged care reform, Mr Yates said, must be placed above and beyond other budget priorities in 2012. 2011 was the year of mental health so it is only right that 2012 will be the year of aged care reform.

“Issues in aged care will get more difficult if the reform process doesn’t start in the 2012 budget.

“Certainly, the sector is facing increasing pressures and that will become more obvious as the years go on. It’s not just financial pressures but older people in need of care do not have the access or choice that the PC is talking about.”

In a private meeting with its members and the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, the alliance nutted out just exactly how NACA would set about achieving its post-PC goals and campaign for community-wide support.

“We are keen to and will be making the PC report our highest priority.

“The first task will be a quick analysis of the final report as soon as it’s released. I think the Commission has been reasonably transparent about the details of the final report.

“So we are not expecting lots of surprises in the final report but obviously the sector will have to analyze it and then provide advice to government, backbenchers and the community about [our stance].”

CEO of Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA), Patrick McClure, said that ACSA strongly supported the alliance’s position that the next federal budget must be the aged care budget.

Mr McClure said that bi-partisan support for aged care reforms anticipated in the PC’s final report and next year’s budget was imperative for the successful transition to a new system of aged care.