The government should put the interests of older Australians, including those on the brink of homelessness, ahead of the middle class who want a new bathroom according to aged care peak Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA).
The organisation would like to see aged care and accommodation for older people included in the government's housing-led COVID recovery plan and has called for the establishment of a Seniors Accommodation Fund to target economic stimulus at older Australians.
Chief executive Patricia Sparrow said stimulus targeted at affordable housing and accommodation for older people would benefit the economy quickly.
"Government should be putting the interests of older Australians, including those on the brink of homelessness, ahead of the middle class who want a new bathroom," Ms Sparrow said.
"The most cost-effective stimulus will be measures that have the dual benefit of efficiency and quickly returning the investment directly back to the broader economy. Housing for older Australians could be the best investment yet in the COVID recovery."
ACSA proposes a Seniors Accommodation Fund which would:
- Support pilot projects for new and innovative senior accommodation options
- Scale and commercialise existing accommodation types
- Identify key geographic areas or other cohorts experiencing vulnerability and seek grant applications to meet their needs
- Ensure money dispersed via the fund is spent in a cost-effective way through a competitive and transparent grant process.
Eileen Wood
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
