The Retirement Living Council (RLC) has issued an urgent call to the re-elected Albanese Government to address critical issues affecting older Australians and the broader housing market before implementation deadlines trigger what they warn could be “major consequences.”
With the new Aged Care Act set to take effect on 1 July, industry operators are warning they simply aren’t prepared for the transition due to incomplete frameworks and information gaps exacerbated by the recent Federal Election period.
“The Commonwealth has one opportunity to avoid major consequences by properly delaying the new Aged Care Act,” said RLC Executive Director Daniel Gannon. “Serious issues surrounding liquidity standards, the critical overhaul of IT systems, a lack of training for staff, client anxiety over costings and financial strain relating to billing remain unaddressed and threaten the viability of the sector.”
While the RLC supports reforming Australia’s aged care system, particularly as the population ages, Gannon emphasised that the current implementation timeline is unrealistic and potentially harmful to all stakeholders.
The Council has also highlighted how outdated Age Pension settings are contributing to Australia’s housing crisis by effectively penalising older Australians who might otherwise consider downsizing from large family homes.
“It’s absurd that policies written decades ago – like those that govern the Age Pension assets test – are expected to keep up with modern day house prices and cost of living,” Gannon said. “Older Australians risk losing their pension while younger people are in housing limbo.”
According to RLC research, reforming the Age Pension and rent assistance could potentially release 59,000 homes currently occupied by 94,000 older Australians, while allowing them to “rightsize” without financial penalties.
With Australia’s ageing demographic shift accelerating, Gannon congratulated Prime Minister Albanese on his re-election while emphasising the urgency of resuming policy reforms that address both aged care quality and housing availability.
“Given Australia’s demographics are shifting drastically, there’s no time to waste in resuming important policy reforms,” he concluded.
Related: Report highlights retirement income worries for Aussie seniors
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
