Budget submission 2003-04

Budget submission 2003-04

COUNCILS ON THE AGEING

Submission to Federal Budget 2003-2004

The following letter was sent to the federal Treasurer, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Family and Community Services, and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, on 1 April 2003.

Dear Minister

Federal Budget 2003-2004

As the Government moves to finalise the Federal Budget for 2003-2004, I write to draw to your attention the continuing key priorities of the Councils on the Ageing, which were outlined in our publication 21^st Century Ageing : A Plan for Government 2002-2004, a copy of which is enclosed.

You will be aware that the Councils on the Ageing (COTA) and the National Seniors Association entered into Partnership last December, as the first step in the anticipated full merger of the two organisations. In future COTA National Seniors Partnership will present an integrated Federal Budget Submission. However, this year separate advice is being offered by NSA and the COTAs, drawing on our previously separate policy development processes. You will have received NSA's submission separately from David Deans.

21^st Century Ageing : A Plan for Government 2002-2004 was first released in September 2001. It was followed up by a detailed Federal Budget Submission for 2002-03, much of which is still relevant today.

We are, of course, most aware of the range of pressures on this year's Federal Budget. We are also aware that the Government has in train a number of Reviews addressing issues in the ageing area, including the Prime Minister's Demographic Taskforce, the Review of Pricing Arrangements in Residential Aged Care, the Consultation Paper on A New Strategy for Community Care, and the Preventive Health Care and Healthy Ageing Working Group of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. We commend these initiatives.

While acknowledging these processes and budget pressures, we believe that the Government should continue to show strong leadership in addressing priority issues of need amongst older Australians in the forthcoming 2003-04 Budget.

Key priorities for older Australians, as outlined in 21^st Century Ageing, are measures which address:

poverty and hardship amongst older Australians with no other income, and who are reliant over the long term on the Age Pension or another pension or benefit.

pressures in the public health system particularly in terms of access to primary health care without cost (bulk billing rates are in practice lower than official statistics indicate, and declining)

the urgent need for increased funding for discharge planning and post acute care including rehabilitation and convalescent services, and for preventive health care initiatives

the unemployment, underemployment and high rates of welfare dependency amongst older Australians of working age, and the discrimination that many continue to suffer

the pressures on the Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme arising from a range of factors, including new medications coming on the market and the strong stance of pharmaceutical companies in negotiating prices

the continuing and severe problems in dental care for older Australians especially those dependent on public services and those in residential aged care

the need for more funding for community care to provide adequate levels of service cover across low, medium and high care needs

the need to improve access to high quality residential care in rural, remote and low socio-economic areas.

In the process of finalising the 2003-04 Budget we do urge you and your colleagues to consider the issues raised in this letter and to review the progress of the Government in terms of the priorities outlined in 21^st Century Ageing. Older Australians need and deserve a fairer go, better care and more effective services across many areas of public policy.

We look forward to your consideration of the issues we have raised in this letter, and would be happy to discuss them with you.

Yours faithfully

Ian Yates

Joint Chief Executive

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COTA National Seniors policy Secretariat (formerly Council on the Ageing (Australia)
Level 2, 3 Bowen Crescent, Melbourne Vic 3004
Tel (03) 9820 2655 Fax (03) 9820 9886
email cota@cota.org.au
www.cota.org.au