Friday, June 19, 2009

NSW Budget doesn’t measure up to ageing population

Council on the Ageing (COTA) NSW will be working with the sector to identify the NSW Budget’s impact on our most vulnerable older people; in particular we will be looking for identifiable spending on the ageing population across a number of portfolios.

“We are relieved that taxes and charges have not increased and welcome the significant increases in spending on disability, health, transport and housing, however we are struggling to see the real increase in ageing spending across portfolios,” said COTA NSW Executive Director, Jon Bisset.
The modest increases in Home and Community Care (HACC) and the reduction in Home Care Services (HCS) despite the ageing of the population are disappointing; these invaluable services enable frail older people and people with a disability to remain living at home with home based support such as meals, personal care and allied health services.  The support provided by HACC and HCS provide early intervention which reduces stress on the health system and aged care services.

Jon Bisset warns “We remain concerned about the cost shifting between the State and Commonwealth on ageing expenditure. A COAG resolution on the HACC split is required so that expenditure on the ageing population is more transparent. The NGO sector has repeatedly asked for assurances that any move of aged services to the Commonwealth will mean service improvements to better support older people and their carers.”
Last year seniors groups appealed to the NSW Government to prepare a Seniors Impact Statement following the Mini Budget to ensure that government policy and planning is mindful of the ageing population.

“We continue to call for a Senior’s Impact Statement as a measured and sensible way to place ageing on every agency’s radar and to ensure that spending in this area reflects the issues identified in the NSW Government’s Towards 2030 Planning for our Changing Population” said Jon Bisset.