Over 50’s – ageing challenges
COTA Over 50s National Policy Council, together with the Minister for Ageing, Mr Christopher Pyne, and the Shadow Minister for Ageing, Senator Jan McLucas, launched COTA’s Election Policies document in Canberra.
COTA Over 50s said that as the 2007 Federal Election approaches, policies needed to be reassessed to see whether they were targeting the right issues.
It has highlighted the areas which political leaders need to address in their policy platforms. Additional funding and changed policy settings are needed for enhanced workforce participation, greater economic security, better standards of health and housing, sustainable aged care services and support for those experiencing disadvantage.
Around 75% of older Australians receive the aged pension as their main income. Increasing the aged pension and in particular the single rate pension to 65% of the couple rate, would enable current older, low-income Australian retirees to maintain a modest lifestyle, it said.
