Ageing in Australia: AASW Position Paper on Challenges and Achievements

The AASW Position Paper outlines the challenges facing older Australians and government in their role in supporting older people. It acknowledges achievements and government intentions, and addresses policy concerns. The AASW calls for a paradigm shift in aged care policy and programs, and for an overarching, integrated policy response to supporting older Australians in the context of their human and civil rights.

AGEING IN AUSTRALIA
AASW Position Paper

Ageing In Australia | AASW Position Paper
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This paper has been developed by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), in
particular the National Social Policy Committee and in conjunction with key professional staff
and other members.
It was approved by the AASW Board as a Position Paper in April 2013.
Disclaimer: Material in this Position Paper is made available as general information only and should not be relied
upon for the purpose of any particular matter.
AASW does not make the content of this paper available as professional advice; before relying on any material
in this paper, readers should obtain appropriate professional advice. AASW expressly disclaims liability for any
loss, however caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of or reliance on the material
contained in this paper by any person.
Contents
Scope & Summary 3
Introduction: The social work platform 5
Policy context: Principles, achievements & challenges 6
Challenges 7
Government policy and initiatives 11
The AASW calls 15
References & endnotes 16

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Scope & Summary
This position paper outlines the Australian Association of Social Workers’ views of the challenges
facing older Australians and government in their role in supporting older people. It is written for
those with responsibility for developing policy and making decisions on how our ageing population
is supported. It is within this context that this paper acknowledges achievements and government
intentions, and addresses a number of policy concerns, particularly the focus and assumptions on
which they are developed.
Summary
• It is important to acknowledge that as
a society, we have made significant
achievements in promoting the health and
wellbeing of older Australians.
• There are, however, many areas where
older people continue to face challenges.
These include age discrimination, ageism
and social isolation. Older people also face
challenges in being able to access:
» Suitable services in rural and remote
areas;
» Services that are sensitive to people’s
cultural needs;
» Services that are sensitive to the needs
of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
and Intersex (LGBTI) people;
» Adequate social housing services;
» Mental health services and dementia
care;
» Protection from violation of their rights
such as in the case of elder abuse.
• Australian governments have made
provision for older people in these areas, but
more needs to be done.
• In the past few decades, Australian
governments have focused on planning to
ensure adequate services are in place for
older people now and in the future. The
planned reforms to the current aged care
service system are outlined in the report
At the broadest level, the Association holds the view that, as a life s
age should provide people with the opportunities to live healthy, po
productive lives, connected to and participating in the life of the com
Ageing policy should acknowledge the many ways in which older pe
contributed and continue to contribute to their families and to the c
rather than focus on the burden of temporary or longer term infirmi

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Living Longer, Living Better 2012.
• While it is necessary and responsible to plan
in this way, especially as the Australian baby
boomers age, public policy has focused
almost exclusively on concerns about the
cost that Australia’s ageing population will
present to the economy to the point of
excluding other important issues such as:
» Protecting the human and civil rights of
older Australians and ensuring that the
national legal framework adequately
upholds those rights;
» Recognising the real contribution older
Australians make in the community both
in the public and private spheres of our
society;
» Ensuring opportunities for social
inclusion (not just support services) for
all older Australians including Aboriginal
Australians, people of CALD, people
living in rural and remote areas and the
LGBTI population.
• The AASW calls for a paradigm shift in
the development of aged care policy and
programs. Such a shift requires giving up
viewing older Australians as essentially
a cost burden to seeing them as citizens
who have the same human and citizenship
rights as everyone else and as people who
have much to contribute to community and
country.
• Flowing on from this, the AASW also calls for
the Government to develop an overarching,
meaningful and integrated policy response
to supporting older Australians in the context
of their human and civil rights. This would
facilitate tying together a range of separate
initiatives currently in place into a more
cohesive and holistic policy approach.
• The AASW supports many of the initiatives
proposed in the Living Longer, Living
Better 2012 report, however, notes that
careful monitoring is required to ensure
that the intended outcomes of the reform
are achieved. In particular the AASW is
concerned that the:
» Increase in investment may not be
enough to respond to identified need;
» Increase of fees and bonds may result
in financial disadvantage for some older
people and their families;
» Elimination of low and high-care
distinctions may not guarantee that
people who need high care will receive
priority;
» Elimination of low and high-care
distinctions may introduce perverse
incentives for providers to prioritise
low care clients for whom the cost of
services/care is lower;
» The funding for the introduction of
Gateway may be inadequate and that its
scope is unclear in its current form.
• The AASW supports the careful monitoring
of the implementation of the reforms and
holds the Government on its promise
to review the reforms five years’ post
implementation.

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The social work profession is committed to maximising the wellbeing of individuals and
society. It considers that individual and social wellbeing are underpinned by socially
inclusive communities that emphasise principles of social justice and respect for human
rights. Minimum standards of human rights include the right to adequate housing, income,
employment, education and health care.
Introduction: The social work platform
“...social workers are involved
in supporting older people in
many areas of practice
associated with the social
work profession...”
Karen Healy
AASW
National President
Glenys Wilkinson
AASW
Chief Executive Officer
Role of social workers
The Australian Association of Social Workers
(AASW) is the only national organisation for
social workers in Australia, with over 7,000
members, many of whom are involved in
the delivery of aged care and carer support
services in a range of fields of practice
including direct service delivery, advocacy,
service planning, service management, service
development and policy. Other social workers
are involved in supporting older people in
many other areas of practice associated with
the social work profession including health,
housing, income support, support to Indigenous
Australians, disability, workforce participation
and community development. Social workers
are therefore uniquely placed to hold both a
broad and an in-depth view of the multiple
issues facing older Australians within a rights-
based context and with a focus on social
justice.
Australian Association of Social
Workers (AASW)
The AASW is the national association for
Australian professional social workers. We
set the benchmark for professional education
and practice in social work. We have a strong
voice on matters of social inclusion, social
justice, human rights and issues that impact
upon the quality of life of all Australians. We
seek a close and collaborative relationship with
educational institutions, industry, government,
client associations, and the community. The
AASW acknowledges the critical importance of
the contribution made by Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander members.

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Policy context
Principles
At the broadest level the Association holds
the view that, as a life stage, older age
should provide people with the opportunities
to live healthy, positive and productive lives,
connected to and participating in the life of
the community. Older people have the life
experience to make a valuable contribution
to all aspects of life. They are entitled to the
same rights as all other Australians and their
goals and aspirations should be supported.
Reflecting the United Nations Principles for
Older Persons1, it is the Association’s position
that older people have the right to:
• independence;
• exercise choice and control over their lives
and deaths;
• pursue lifestyles of their choice and be free
to express diversity with respect to their
culture, language and sexuality, amongst
other things;
• employment;
• opportunities and support to pursue healthy
ageing lifestyle choices;
• participate in all aspects of society and
be provided with opportunities to share
their knowledge and skills with younger
generations;
• self fulfilment which involves access to
educational, cultural and recreational
resources in their communities;
• be treated with dignity and respect ;
• be free from discrimination and abuse;
• equitable and readily available access to a
competent, comprehensive and affordable
health and social support services that meet
their individual needs.
Achievements
It is important to acknowledge that as a society,
we have made significant advancements
towards protecting these rights. Older people
are generally enjoying a much longer and
healthier life span than ever before. They
have many opportunities to be engaged in
meaningful paid and unpaid work. Technological
and medical advances as well as an awareness
of healthy ageing strategies have resulted in
better health outcomes. The world-wide shift
towards community-based, person-centered
approaches to support and care mean that the
majority of people can age in place. In Australia,
many receive in-home services and support
tailored to individual needs that are affordable
and effective. Residential aged care now offers
a great many choices to older people with
respect to the intensity of support and location,
and caters to diverse needs such as providing
specialised services to people with dementia,
people who are Culturally and Linguistically
Diverse (CALD) and Aboriginal Australians.
People have more choices about how to spend
their last days and how they wish to die with
the support of palliative care services and the
growing use of advanced care directives.
Challenges
There are however also many challenges facing
older people themselves and government in
their role of supporting older people, now and
into the future. Some key challenges are set out
on page 7.

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Challenges
Protection of Human Rights
The rights of older people in Australia are
generally upheld through the same legislative
and policy frameworks that are in place to
protect all other citizens, with the exception
of the the Age Discrimination Act 2004
(Commonwealth) which is specifically aimed at
preventing discrimination against older people.
It is noteworthy that at the international level,
there is no specific bindinginstrument to protect
the rights of older people. At the broadest
level, the main international human rights
instruments:
• the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), and
• the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
provide for the right to be free from
discrimination on the grounds of, amongst
other attributes, “other status”, which is said to
include age.
The United Nations Principles for Older Persons
(2) have been developed and are supported by
Governments within Australia. These principles
recognise rights of older persons to:
• independence;
• participation;
• care;
• self-fulfilment; and
• dignity.
There is a growing global push for a binding
international convention on the rights of older
people. Such conventions are in place for a
number of other groups such as children and
people with disabilities. The rights of women
are upheld in two international conventions:
one that focuses on the elimination of
discrimination and another on the elimination
of violence. Arguably older people may also
often be vulnerable and discriminated against
and there is an argument in favour of having a
more formal international agreement to uphold
their rights. Merely having a set of principles
(above) does not go far enough in building in
constitutional protection of the rights of older
persons.2 The AASW supports the United
Nations Principles for Older Persons being
strengthened in Australia by adopting these in
domestic legislation at both a Commonwealth
and State level.
Australia’s legal framework for protection
against age discrimination has been described
as possessing a low level of uniformity,
enforcement and enforceability at both state
and federal levels. The breadth of some of
the exceptions and exemptions to the Age
Discrimination Act 2004 (Commonwealth)
undermine the overall effectiveness of the Act
which, in its current form, does not adequately
address systemic discrimination or promote
substantive equality.3
“Ageism is not always
intentional or direct; however
its impact on older people ca
be profound.”
Ageism
Ageism can be described as ‘a process of
systematic stereotyping of, and discrimination
against people’ simply because they are older.4
According to the Human Rights Commission,
ageism is an entrenched feature of Australian
society with older individuals being ‘lumped
together’ or thought of as all being the same
just because of their age.5 COTA, Australia’s
premier advocacy agency for older people,
agrees with this view, describing ageism as

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endemic and pervasive in Australia.6
Ageism can play out and impacts on older
Australians in multiple ways including:
• in the forms of speech by which they are
addressed, which can be condescending or
dismissive;
• in the media and arts where images of
older people can be negative, unattractive or
stereotypical;
• in the health system where certain
symptoms in older patients (such as
balance problems, memory loss and
depression) can be dismissed from
the outset as ‘old age’ instead of being
viewed as potentially treatable health
conditions.7 Age discrimination has been
detected in assessing suitability for medical
rehabilitation services, specifically for stroke
and cardiac patients;8
• in access to employment, in the attitudes
of employers to older workers, in access to
training and professional development and
in the undervaluing of the skills, experience
and wisdom of older people. The Australian
HumanRights Commission has identified
age discrimination as the foremost barrier
to the workforce participation of mature age
workers;9
• in accessing affordable, safe and
suitable housing including public housing
– the profile of older people experiencing
homelessness is rapidly expanding beyond
the typical stereotype of an older alcoholic
man sleeping rough. An increasing number
of older people, particularly women, are
becoming homeless after being evicted from
what has been previously a comparatively
stable accommodation in the private rental
market. The number of people aged over
65 living in lower income rental households
is projected to increase from 195,000 in
2001 to 419,000 in 2026. The greatest
projected change is in the 85 years and over
age range where estimated numbers are
increasing from 17,300 to 51,000;10
• in the planning of public facilities. Access
to public transport, including safe bus stops
and accessible vehicles, and location of
services often do not take sufficient account
of the needs of older people.
Ageism is not always intentional or direct;
however its impact on older people can be
profound. The broader community, including
older people themselves, are often not aware of
the myths and stereotypes they have accepted
about the abilities and capacities of older
people and how older people are portrayed.
In many instances, ageism takes the form of
omission rather than commission such as not
taking into account the needs of older people
adequately in the planning of public facilities,
social services and public transport.
Social exclusion
As well as discrimination, many older people
suffer exclusion and social isolation. There are
multiple reasons that cause older people to
become socially isolated including the loss of
a partner, family members moving away, living
in rural and remote areas11 and chronic illness.
Age discrimination can intensify social isolation
in a psychological sense just as much as poor
transport, poor access to appropriate housing,
inadequate health services and living in isolated
areas.
Elder abuse
Elder abuse, as defined by the World H
Organisation is “a single, or repeated act, or
lack of appropriate action, occurring within any
relationship where there is an expectation of
trust which causes harm or distress to an older
person. Elder abuse can take various forms
such as physical, psychological or emotional,
sexual and financial abuse. It can also b
result of intentional or unintentional neglect”.12
It is a human rights issue which requires a
comprehensive set of strategies and the co-
operation of multiple agencies. Preventative
strategies informed by human rights principles
need to be the foundation of the response to
elder abuse in the private and the public lives
of older people, whether it be in the spheres
health, finance, education, care and support
services or recreation.

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Housing
The core housing attributes valued by older
renters include autonomy, security, social
connectivity, amenity, adaptability and
affordability. Currently the private rental market
offers none of these and current levels of public
and community housing are failing to meet
the increasing demand for people who are no
longer able to access private rental. The highest
priority must be accorded to those who do not
have secure tenure when they reach retirement
age.
“The potential increase in
the contribution that older
people can make in the future
may be missed if they are
viewed primarily as drivers of
increased demand and cost to
government.”
Ageing population
As is well known, Australia’s population is
growing older and as baby boomers move
into old age, this trend is set to gather greater
momentum over the next three decades and
beyond.13 The age composition of Australia’s
population is projected to change considerably
as a result of population ageing. By 2051, there
will be a much greater proportion of people
aged 65 years and over than in 2004, and
a lower proportion of people aged under 15
years. In 2004, people aged 65 years and over
made up 13% of Australia’s population. This
proportion is projected to increase to between
26% and 28% in 2051 (respectively) and to
between 27% and 31% in 2101.14
This demographic trend is not new. It has been
building for over a century and is likely to result
in changes that will flow on to all aspects of
social and economic life as both the number
and proportion of older people in the community
increase. While government agencies have
tended to view this demographic shift with
concern as a growing financial b
public purse, in reality, most older people live
healthy active lives with aged care becoming a
factor for a proportion of the aged population,
usually in the last two years of life. The potential
increase in the contribution that older people
can make in the future may be missed if they
are viewed primarily as drivers of increased
demand and cost to government. Already
many older people invest substantial time
and effort in community volunteer activities.
Similarly, a proportion of older people, who
are also grandparents, often provide practical
and financial support to their children
grandchildren.15
Aged care services and support
Governments fund and subsidise a wide range
of support and accommodation services for
older people needing these services. Service
provision is supplied by all levels of government
and by non-government organisations (both
for-profit and not-for profit) in fairly complex
arrangements that have some variation both
across and within states and territories. The
quality and safety standards of aged care have
increased and the industry has attracted a
largely committed and skilled workforce. There
are a range of agencies that monitor quality
and safety of service provision and provide
an independent process for responding to
complaints.
Nevertheless, in its 2011 review of the aged
care system titled: Caring for Older Australians,
the Productivity Commission claimed that some
of the system’s weaknesses are as follows:
• It is difficult for consumers to navig
• Services and consumer choice is limited;
• There is limited confidence among those
needing care that they can leave their care
package during periods of greater wellness
and independence and re-engage readily
should their circumstances change;
• Older people are uncertain about having
access to care in the future;

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• Quality is variable;
• Coverage of needs, pricing, subsidies and
user co-contributions are inconsistent or
inequitable;
• Workforce shortages are exacerbated by low
wages and some workers have insufficient
skills;
• There are difficulties in obtaining finance,
in particular, to build high care residential
facilities;
• Older people who are from the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI)
group face additional challenges when
entering residential age care and support is
needed to ensure they and their partners are
not treated with discrimination;
• Older Australians who experienced
institutional abuse as children and have
been acknowledged as Forgotten
Australians, need sensitive and informed
approaches as they may move in to
residential age care settings;
• There are complex, overlapping and costly
regulations and a lack of independence of
some regulatory activities.

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Government policy and initiatives
Living Longer Living
Better
In April 2012 the Government
announced its reform package for
aged care, Living Longer, Living Better,
largely in response to the Productivity
Commission’s inquiry. Key directions
and changes are as follows:
will mean that consumers pay more in fees,
depending on their level of income. Packaged
community care will be delivered on the basis
of Consumer-Directed Care (CDC), which is
intended to provide consumers with greater
control over their supports.
Residential care
There are a range of reforms proposed for
residential care, including:
• The elimination of low and high-care
distinctions, resulting in providers being
able to charge bonds for all residential care
places;
• Introduction of means-testing and capping of
fees;
• Changes to funding instruments to reduce
government subsidy level; and
• Increases in accommodation subsidies for
residents who have no assets and are on a
pension and for rural and regional facilities.
Information, referral and
assessment
An Australian Seniors Gateway Agency will
be established from 1 July 2013 to provide
a one-stop-shop for information and referral
for accessing aged care services. Initially the
Agency will only involve a website and Contact
Centre. From 2016, the Gateway will also
conduct assessment of eligibility for services.
A new national assessment framework is being
developed to support this. The new My Aged
Care website will publish information and allow
some self-service functions. A linking service
will assist people with complex needs to access
health, disability, housing, financial and o
services.
Home and Community Care
(HACC)
After 1 July 2015, HACC services will be
absorbed into the Home Support Program,
together with the National Respite for Carers
program, Assistance with Care and Housing
for the Aged, and Day Therapy Centres. HACC
service types, planning regions and unit pricing
will be reviewed, and a new national fees policy
will be introduced. Assessment processes
will be reviewed, with an intention to aligning
assessment processes within Home Support
Program services and Aged Care Assessment
Team (ACAT) assessment processes.
Packaged Community Care
The number of community care packages (to
be called Home Care packages from 2013) –
Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs),
Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) and
Extended Aged Care at Home-Dementia
(EACH-D) packages - will increase. Two new
types of package will be introduced from 1 July
2013: one level below CACP, and one between
CACP and EACH. A new Dementia Supplement
will be introduced, available to all package
levels. Funding changes and means testing

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Regulation
A new Aged Care Financing Authority will be
set up to provide advice about pricing, and to
approve accommodation charges. The Aged
Care Quality Agency will replace the Aged
Care Standards and Accreditation Agency as
the body which monitors providers and confers
accreditation. New quality indicators will be
published on the My Aged Care website.
Role of government
Both the Commonwealth and State
governments have a range of initiatives to
support older people and are increasing their
planning and spending in this area as the large
baby boomer cohort begins to age.
The Commonwealth Government’s Seniors
website lists 21 initiatives to support older
people ranging from information related to
human rights to helpingpeople find public
toilets. Perhaps the most significant of these
initiatives are:
• Information about age discrimination
(including an outline of the Human Rights
Commission and its focus on addressing
barriers to equality and participation faced by
mature workers and older Australians);
• Information about aged care services; and
• Information about healthy ageing.
“What is lacking...is an
overarching, meaningful and
integrated policy response to
supporting older Australians
in the context of all of their
human and civil rights.”
Fragmented and complex system
What is lacking from this website, and arguably
from government policy, is an overarching,
meaningful and integrated policy response
to supporting older Australians in the context
of all of their human and civil rights. The
government’s response is a set of separate
projects, perhaps well intentioned, but failing
to come together into a cohesive whole. This
is exacerbated by the division of roles between
the Commonwealth Government and the State
and Territory governments. Human rights, for
example, is the domain of the Commonwealth,
while most initiatives aimed at addressing
elder abuse fall to the states.16 This is just one
example of a complex service system with
many gaps and overlaps that the average
person would find difficult to navigate.
Misplaced focus
The focus of successive governments has been
on strategies that, while they have intrinsic
merit, are primarily designed to reduce the
cost to government of the ageing population.
Three areas have attracted the attention of
governments – keeping older people in the
workforce, promoting healthy ageing and
reforming the aged care system.
According to the Law Reform Commission with
respect to keeping older people employed, the
Government’s overarching objective is to keep
people in work, and paying taxes, longer—
rather than being on the old age pension.17
Arguably healthy ageing keeps older people
out of hospitals and aged care reform, as
expressed in Living Better Living Longer 2012,
is as at least as much about sharing the cost of
care with consumers as it is about increasing
choice and improving quality.
Undervalued contribution &
overestimated economic impact
Policy makers tend not to give due
consideration to the real contribution that
older people make to the community. This
contribution is not only that made in old age
but the contribution that the elderly have made
throughout their whole life (including taxes and
other fiscal contributions to the economy) th
may give them an entitlement to be cared for in
the last stages of their lives.
The negative view of older people as an
economic burden (especially with respect to

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13
costly residential care) can also be challenged
on economic grounds. According to the
Department of Health and Ageing:18
• There are relatively few people in aged care
homes. At age 80, only 4.8 per cent of men
and 8.0 per cent of women are receiving
permanent residential aged care at any one
time19;
• Over the last decade (1998 – 2009), the
average level of occupancy for aged
care homes has been steadily declining.
Occupancy rates have gone from over 96%
to 92% in this period;
• Although the likelihood of a person entering
residential aged care is increasing in
overall numbers, the proportion of the aged
population entering residential aged care is
decreasing. At the same time, the average
age at which people enter residential care
is increasing. The result is that the demand
for residential services is not increasing as
rapidly as the population is ageing.
While planning for the ageing population
is necessary and responsible, the intensity
of the focus on this issue and some of the
assumptions that feed it, are questionable.
Implementation of aged care
reforms
With respect to the aged care reforms proposed
in the Living Better Living Longer report, at this
very early stage of the reforms, it is difficult
to comment definitively. The proposals are a
complex set of planned systemic reforms that
will be implemented over ten years. How all
of them will interact synergistically and in the
‘real world’ is yet to be played out, measured
and assessed. The reform will be overseen
by the Aged Care Reform Implementation
Council. It is imperative that this oversight is
rigorous, transparent and accountable. There
are currently a number of Working Groups
developing the implementation requirements
of the reform components. The AASW will
be following the implementation process with
interest and commenting as opportunities
present themselves or where issues of concern
warrant this.
Encouraging intentions
In general, the Association welcomes the
Government’s intention to:
• Introduce a single gateway to service access
for most services;
• Increase in investment in aged care across
the board including an increase in the
number of residential places and particularly
an increase in the number of community
based services through Home Care and
Packaged Care;
• Introduce a wider range of bands in
packaged care;
• Introduce a dementia supplement that will be
able to be applied across bands;
• Introduce more rational structure to a
number of programs by amalgamating them
into the single Home Support Program;
• Strengthen aged care in regional Australia;
• Increase investment in carer support
services;
• Ensure that the aged care service system is
more aware, sensitive and responsive to the
diversity of older Australians including sexual
diversity;
• Improve the salary for and skills of the aged
care workforce. This is essential as, apart
from older people who have dementia and
comorbidities, there are now those reaching
older age who previously would not have
done so, such as people with an intellectual
disability, acquired brain injury or a serious
mental illness;
• Develop stricter standards and exercise
greater control over quality.
Concerns
The Association has concerns that the
proposed:
• Increase in investment may not be enough to
respond to identified need;
• Increase of fees and bonds may result in
financial disadvantage, despitethe means
testing and caps that have been placed on
consumer contribution. This is especially
concerning if it represents the ‘thin edge
of the wedge’ for older Australians to

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14
increasingly bear the burden of the rising
cost of aged care;
• Elimination of low and high-care distinctions
does not guarantee that people who need
high care will receive priority;
• Elimination of low and high-care distinctions
may introduce perverse incentives for
providers to prioritise low care clients for
whom the cost of services/care is lower;
• Introduction of Gateway is unclear in
scope. Only $75m of new funding has been
allocated and significant emphasis has been
placed on the development of a web site
and call centre rather than establishing an
agency with enough scope and resources to
provide comprehensive information, needs
assessment, care coordination and carer
referral services on a regional basis.
Workforce issues
The Government has recognised the major
workforce issues with respect to aged care
especially and has sought to address these
through a new Workforce Compact to be
developed from 2012-13 that promises to
deliver increased wages, and workforce
development initiatives. The Compact will allow
signatories who have an Enterprise Agreement
that delivers higher wages to workers to access
a Conditional Adjustment Payment for extra
funding to cover increased wages.

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15
The AASW calls
The AASW calls for a paradigm shift in the
development of aged care policy and programs.
Such a shift requires giving up viewing older
Australians as essentially a cost burden to
seeing them as citizens who have the same
human and citizenship rights as everyone else
and as people who have much to contribute to
community and country.
Such a paradigm shift would result in the
Government asking: How can we ensure the
full range of rights of older people are protected
and how can we increase their participation in
all areas of community life? Rather than viewing
every issue associated with ageing through the
prism of potential cost.
Such a shift would also involve moving away
from the current approach to service solutions
and towards needs/rights based framework.
In line with this shift, the AASW calls for the
government to:
• Lobby the United Nations (UN) for the UN to
develop an International Convention on the
Rights of Older People;
• Introduce new legislation to replace the
current Age Discrimination Act 2004
(Commonwealth) that will address systemic
discrimination against older people and
promote equality. This new legislation should
have caveats against too many exemptions
that have the potential to weaken it;
• Develop a comprehensive, rights based
policy framework that explains how older
Australians can participate in all aspects of
community life and how those who need
support can be assisted to meet their goals
and aspirations. In developing such a policy,
the framework should take full account of
the diversity of older Australians and make
provision for such. Aged care (and other
services and initiatives) should sit under
this framework as part of the Government’s
overall response to meeting the needs of
older people. It should not be a stand-alone
initiative or one that dominates all other
initiatives associated with supporting older
Australians;
• Step up its efforts to streamline and simplify
the service system that supports older
people. Despite various reforms, the system
continues to be complex and confusing;
• Carefully monitor the impact of the
implementation of the aged care reforms
on the health and wellbeing of older
Australians. In particular the AASW calls for
the monitoring of the reforms on outcomes
for people in rural and remote areas,
Indigenous Australians, people who are
CALD, LGBTI population and people with
dementia and/or mental illness. The impact
of introducing bonds for people entering
high care residential centres should also
be carefully monitored to ensure that these
people and their families do not suffer
undue financial hardships as a resul
reforms. The government should hold its
promise to review the reforms five
after implementation;
• Develop a National Older Person’s Housing
Strategy to address the need for provision of
suitable housing for the increasing numbers
of older renters to enable them to ‘age well’.

Ageing In Australia | AASW Position Paper
16
Reference
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Population
projects, Australia, 2004 to 2101, cat. no.
3222.0, ABS, Canberra, 2006.
Australian Government, Department of Health
and Ageing, Living Better, Living Longer 2012.
Australian Human Rights Commission, Age
discrimination: exposing the hidden barrier for
mature age workers, Australian Human Rights
Commission, 2010, <http://www.hreoc.gov.au/
pdf/age/hiddenbarrier2010.pdf>.
Australian Human Rights Commission, The
road so far: the Age Discrimination Act 2004
(Cth), Australian Human Rights Commission, 5
December 2011, <http://www.humanrights.gov.
au/age/publications/ADA_road_2011.pdf>.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Older
Australia at a glance, 4th edn, cat. no. AGE 52,
AIHW, Canberra, 2007.
Australian Law Reform Commission,
Consultative forum on mature age participation,
presentation report, Australian Law Reform
Commission, 26 March 2012, <http://www.alrc.
gov.au/news-media/2011-2012/consultative-
forum-mature-age-participation>.
Australian Law Reform Commission, Grey
areas: age barriers to work in Commonwealth
laws, issues paper 41, Australian Law Reform
Commission, April 2012, <http://www.alrc.gov.
au/sites/default/files/pdfs/publications/whole_
ip_41.pdf>.
Bartlett H, Social isolation of older people
in regional Australia: the research agenda,
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edu.au/sphc/haru/news/social-isolation-bartlett.
pdf>.
Butler R & M Lewis, Aging and Mental
Health: Positive psychosocial and biomedical
approaches, 3rd edn, Mosby, 1982.
COTA, Policy compendium, COTA National
Policy Office, August 2008, <http://www.
cotavic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/
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de Boer R, ‘Reform of aged care: a small
step’, blog post, FlagPost, 30 April 2012,
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parliamentflagpost.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/
reform-of-aged-care-small-step.html>.
Department of Health and Ageing, Technical
paper on the changing dynamics of residential
aged care: prepared to assist the Productivity
Commission Inquiry Caring for older
Australians, Department of Health and Ageing,
April 2011.
Hughes M, ‘The Productivity Commission
inquiry into aged care: a critical review’,
Australian Social Work, vol. 64, no. 4, 2011.

Ageing In Australia | AASW Position Paper
17
1. UN General Assembly, Principles for older persons,
annexure to resolution 46/91, United Nations,
forty-sixth session, 16 December 1991, viewed 15
September 2012, <http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/
resguide/r46.htm>.
2. The General Assembly of the United Nations is
currently in the process of reviewing existing protection
of older people’s human rights and considering how
it may address any gaps through the Open Ended
Working Group on Ageing established in December
2010. However, no specific recommendationshave
been forthcoming from his work on developing an
international convention of the rights of older people.
3. COTA, Policy compendium, COTA National Policy
Office, August 2008, retrievedon 15 September
2012, <http://www.cotavic.org.au/wp-content/
uploads/2011/01/policycompendium.pdf>.
4. R Butler & M Lewis, Aging and Mental Health: Positive
psychosocial and biomedical approaches, 3rd edn,
Mosby, 1982, p. xvii.
5. Australian Human Rights Commission, Age
discrimination: exposing the hidden barrier for mature
age workers, Australian Human Rights Commission,
2010, p. 2, retrieved on 15 September 2012, <http://
www.hreoc.gov.au/pdf/age/hiddenbarrier2010.pdf>.
6. COTA, Policy compendium.
7. M Pasupathi & C Löckenhoff, ‘Ageist behaviour’, in
T Nelson (ed), Ageism: stereotyping and prejudice
against older persons, MIT Press, 2004, pp. 205–6,
in Australian Human Rights Commission, cited in Age
discrimination, p. 3.
8. Human Rights Law Centre, ‘Ageism in Australia’,
National Human Rights Action Plan, Human Rights
Law Centre, 2011, retrieved 15 September 2012,
<http://www.humanrightsactionplan.org.au/nhrap/
focus-area/older-people>.
9. Australian Human Rights Commission, Age
discrimination.
10. Jones, A, Bell, Tilse,C and Earl AHURI 2007 Rental
Housing Provision for Low Income Older Australians
11. H Bartlett, Social isolation of older people in regional
Australia: the research agenda, MonRAS presentation
report, 11 May 2010, Monash University, p.
15 September 2012, <http://www.med.monash.edu.au/
sphc/haru/news/social-isolation-bartlett.pdf>.
12. World Health Organization, ‘Elder abuse’, Ageing and
life course, WHO, 2012, retrieved on 15 September
2012, <http://www.who.int/ageing/projects/elder_
abuse>.
13. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Older
Australia at a glance, 4th edn, cat. no. AGE 52, AIHW,
Canberra, 2007.
14. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Population projects,
Australia, 2004 to 2101, cat. no. 3222.0, ABS,
Canberra, 2006.
15. Royal Children’s Hospital: Centre for Community Child
Health Parkville, Victoria 2010, ‘The changing role of
grandparents’
16. See for example: NSW Department of Ageing,
Disability & Home Care, Interagency protocol
for responding to abuse of older people, NSW
Government, Sydney, 2007, retrieved on 1 September
2012, <http://www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/
file/0011/228386/InteragencyProtocol1.pdf>.
17. Australian Law Reform Commission, Consultative
forum on mature age participation, presentation
report, 26 March 2012, retrieved on 1 September
2012, <http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2011-2012/
consultative-forum-mature-age-participation>.
18. Department of Health and Ageing, Technical paper
on the changing dynamics of residential aged care:
prepared to assist the Productivity Commission Inquiry
Caring for older Australians, Department of Health and
Ageing, April 2011.
19. Based on 2007/08 data. According to trends this
number is now likely to be lower.
Endnotes

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