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.
Updated Consultation Dates on the new Aged Care Act
Following feedback from stakeholders requesting more time to review the draft and share their views on this important reform, the Government has agreed to extend the consultation period on the Act by 3 weeks to 8 March 2024.
Access the upcoming consolations by clicking on this link: Upcoming consultation workshops
South Australian consultation workshop information:
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 by clicking here
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.
