Human Rights
Aged Care Exposure Draft Joint submission
New Aged Care Act is an ‘urgent priority’
The PICAC Alliance and 11 other national organisations working with older people and carers today released their joint submission on the exposure draft for the new Aged Care Act.
The submission highlights key areas that need to be addressed, including:
– enforceable rights of older people
– a robust, independent complaints system
– transparency of timelines and funding
– strong regulation and penalties
– a guaranteed right to aged care visitors
– supports for family and friend carers
– strengthened diversity requirements.
In an accompanying media release, the consortium described the passage of the Act as ‘an urgent priority for 2024.’
Read the full submission here.
Unpacking the exposure draft of the new Aged Care Act: 23 reasons to get involved
COTA Australia and OPAN, in partnership with 10 other older people and carer organisations, have identified 23 key issues with the current exposure draft in a Key Issues Paper summarised below.
Read the full Key Issues Paper here: opan.org.au/exposure-draft
SAVE THE DATE: Upcoming consultation workshops
Consultation workshops are being held in capital cities and some regional centres across Australia to discuss the draft new Aged Care Act and hear your feedback. Online drop-in sessions will also be available in February 2024.
To register to attend a workshop please click on the following link: https://healthau.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b71mdEOZuckSuwe
Important resources
Before attending a workshop, the Department encourages you to read the consultation resources. They will send you a workbook before the workshop. These materials include prompting questions about what they are most interested to hear about and may help guide your feedback.
The PICAC Alliance is currently engaged in collaborative efforts with 11 other organisations to address the Exposure Draft. A comprehensive set of additional resources, collectively prepared by this consortium, is scheduled for release on Thursday, 18 January 2024. We encourage you to monitor this space for forthcoming updates and access to these valuable resources.
Let the CALD Voice be Heard
As Multicultural Aged Care, we earnestly invite all member organisations, clients, and stakeholders to actively engage in the vital process of information dissemination and upcoming consultations pertaining exposure draft of the New Aged Care Act. Your participation is instrumental in ensuring that the voices of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities are distinctly heard and valued in this significant endeavour.
Aged Care Consultations follow-up: online feedback session
A message from Patricia Sparrow, CEO of COTA Australia, and Craig Gear, CEO of OPAN:
Dear consultation attendees and registrants,
We would like to express our appreciation for your contribution to our recent consultations around the foundations of the new Aged Care Act and the Aged Care Taskforce’s funding principles.
We are inviting you to an online feedback session on Wednesday October 11, 1pm– 2pm AEDT, where we will share what we heard across the 12 face-to-face events and online forum, and what we told Government older people want changed in our submissions.
We will also share with you the next steps for involvement in future aged care reform, including consultation around the Exposure Draft of the Aged Care Act.
We look forward to welcoming you at this special online event.
Patricia Sparrow, CEO of COTA Australia, and
Craig Gear, CEO of OPAN
New Aged Care Act
We are pleased to highlight the release of the foundational components of the new Aged Care Act, including the draft Statement of Rights, which occurred on Friday, August 4th. This important development is the culmination of ongoing efforts initiated by the Royal Commission.
The revised Aged Care Act places a strong emphasis on human rights principles, incorporating new and relevant approaches, information and resources. In line with this, a national survey and face-to-face consultations for the general public are on the horizon. There are consultations scheduled to take place in every state and territory including Adelaide and regional South Australia.
In these crucial discussions, Multicultural Aged Care (MAC) is playing an active role and is committed to making a substantial contribution and continuously advocating for the CALD voice to be heard and included. Furthermore, it’s noteworthy that a representative from the PICAC Alliance also proudly participates in the Human Rights Special Priority Group at the National Aged Care Alliance (NACA), an active player in the ongoing dialogue within the sector and alongside policy makers and stakeholders.
We encourage you to review the provided materials below to get in touch with the MAC team if you have any inquiries. Your engagement is pivotal as we navigate these significant changes in the realm of aged care.
Access the consultation paper, factsheets, a survey, and additional information on how to get involved and provide your feedback at the Aged Care Engagement Hub here:
You can also register to attend the webinar on 10 August 2023 where representatives of the Department of Health and Aged Care will explain the proposed changes and respond to your questions here:
Consultations in South Australia are as follows:
- 1 September 2023 in Adelaide SA
- 2 September 2023 in Victor Harbor SA
