Grey vote tipped to make its mark at WA election

About 130 people gathered at the West Perth forum run by Council on the Ageing (COTA) WA to put questions to candidates.

The privatisation of Western Power, delays in amendments to the Retirement Villages Act and a proposed freedom of choice at the end of life bill were among the issues raised.

Seniors Minister Paul Miles, opposition spokesperson for seniors and ageing Margaret Quirk and Greens MLC Lynn McLaren were each given 10 minutes to speak before answering questions.

At the end of the forum, based on what had been heard, attendees voted for which party they felt would best represent older voters.

Labor topped the poll with 37 per cent of the vote, followed by Greens WA on 32 per cent and Liberals 15.4 per cent.

The Nationals had 3.6 per cent, One Nation 2.4 per cent, 3.6 per cent were undecided, 6 per cent opted for “Other” and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party had no votes.

COTAWA chief executive Mark Teale said one in three WA voters is aged over 60 so the grey vote would have a big impact on the outcome of the March 11 state election.

The sale of Western Power and the potential impact on cost of living was of concern to attendees.

Mr Miles said energy costs were set by government and treasury, not Western Power, and prices would not be affected.

Labor is against the plan and Ms Quirk emphasised that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said there would be no increases in prices “if managed properly”.

Ms McLaren said the Greens opposed privatisation. “Your electricity is an essential service and you cannot be subjected to power increases if you are on a fixed income.”

Questions were also asked as to why it had taken so long for legislation to be enacted to protect retirement village residents, following a 2008 inquiry that revealed issues such as bullying, elder abuse, diversion of funds and lack of maintenance work at a lifestyle village.

One part of the legislation had been passed in 2015 but there was still a second part to come.

Mr Miles said there was no reason the legislation could not be ready before parliament’s winter break and Ms Quirk said she will be “jumping up and down and making it a priority”.

Two questioners asked candidates their views on a proposed freedom of choice at the end of life bill.

Mr Miles said the issue was too serious for political game play and the cut and thrust of an election, and must be discussed by the community and members of parliament and not rushed into.

Ms McLaren said the conversation was long overdue and the bill would be tightly drafted to avoid problems, while Ms Quirk emphasised the importance of access to palliative care and did not want to comment before seeing the legislation.

Speaking about the state’s shortage of 3000 aged care beds, Mr Miles said it was a challenge to find space for facilities in established suburbs, but higher density facilities could be achieved through planning.

He said it was important for government to set aside land for future use in aged care.

Ms Quirk said Labor planned to provide land to developers of aged care facilities at a discounted rate.

Both sides agreed on the importance of funding not-for-profit organisations providing aged care services.

Candidates were also asked to look at improving public transport, reverse mortgages and the plight of grandparents cut off from their grandchildren after family breakdown.

Mr Teale said stamp duty had not been raised at the forum but it was often cited as a barrier to older people planning for their future housing needs, reducing their ability to secure appropriate housing.

A COTA survey showed the top five election issues for older Western Australians are: