New national alliance joins aged care debate

New South Wales aged care provider The Whiddon Group has been instrumental in the creation of a new national force in advocating for older Australians.

The Sydney based not for profit organisation provides aged and community care services across the state and recognised the opportunity to partner with similar interstate organisations to make their voices heard in Canberra.

The Masonic Care Alliance is made up of members from every state and territory and has already had its voice heard in Parliament, with members of the Alliance speaking in front of the Senate on the changes to the Aged Care Acts in Sydney in April.

The Alliance met with Senator Conchetta Fierravanti-Wells, Shadow Minister for Ageing, in Sydney recently to discuss the Alliance’s objectives.

The Masonic Care Alliance’s member organisations include Masonic Care WA, Royal Freemasons Vic, The Whiddon Group (NSW), Star Aged Living (QLD), Masonic Care Queensland, Masonic Home Retirement Living (SA), and Masonic Care Northern Tasmania.

The Masonic Care Alliance now plans to address the five major issues facing Australia’s ageing population. 

Ms Lee-ann Irwin, The Whiddon Group chief executive, claimed the five concerns brought to her by clients across residential, community care, and independent living services were:

• affordability of housing;
• quality of services;
• protection of personal savings;
• access to care; and
• choice of services.

“What we hope to achieve here is recognition of the huge contribution that aged care and low cost housing providers make to the lives of ordinary Australians. It is essential that the needs of these organisations are taken into account over and above the dollars and cents that it costs to provide these essential services, the sustainability aspect is critical and is often overlooked in short term planning,” Ms Irwin said.