Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

In Australia we have an ageing population. We are constantly being reminded of this. This brings with it challenges that need good policy responses. Unfortunately, one of the things that may happen is exploitation of older Australians and their finances. This is unacceptable and must be addressed.

One of the issues that is coming up is accommodation. This too brings with it the potential for exploitation. A number of us would have seen the joint investigation by Four Corners and Fairfax Media which documented some very serious issues that are affecting older Australians and have further potential to do that. The Four Corners show aired on the ABC on 26 June. The investigation brought to light claims of excessive fees, complex contracts and misleading advertising. These issues will not be limited to the operator investigated, nor to retirement villages. I have heard of similar problems in other types of retirement housing.

Within Australia nearly 200,000 residents are currently living in 2,300 retirement facilities across the country. An ageing population and a housing affordability crisis make it imperative that we have good regulation and processes. In our opinion, reform in this area is needed. I have recently sent letters to each of the state premiers and territory chief ministers, as well as to Minister McCormack, requesting that retirement housing reform be placed on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the Legislative and Governance Forum on Consumer Affairs, which is to be held on 31 August.

I support the proposed reforms put forward by the Consumer Action Law Centre for consideration at the next meeting of that forum. The Consumer Action Law Centre are calling for: improved dispute resolution, with the introduction of an ombudsman-like scheme, with independent and binding resolutions; the simplification of contracts, in order to make them more accessible to older Australians; the regulation of unreasonable fees, particularly exit fees; and the introduction of training and accreditation standards. This issue must be addressed in each state and territory throughout Australia, to ensure that older Australians are not targeted by unscrupulous retirement housing operators who are looking at an easy source of additional revenue. I'm also encouraging the federal government to take the lead on driving such reforms to protect older Australians from future exploitation.

Similar claims to those outlined in the joint investigation undertaken by Four Corners and Fairfax Media were in fact scrutinised in 2007 in a report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs entitled Older people and the law. The Labor government's response to the report accepted or partially accepted recommendations 45, 46 and 47. These recommendations refer to the examination of the nature of retirement village contracts; examination of exit and other fees associated with such contracts, including whether they should be abolished; and the examination of the New Zealand model of a statutory supervisor, to assess its suitability for Australia. There does not appear to have been any progress to date on these issues. I have looked and can't find any. I note, however, that the ACCC has stated that it will investigate some of the more serious matters raised in relation to the particular provider who was the subject of the joint investigation undertaken by Four Corners and Fairfax Media. The issues raised in the report violate the rights of older Australians to be able to live dignified and quality lives.

It is our responsibility to ensure that the necessary and appropriate protections are in place to safeguard against such cases as those raised in the report. The Australian Greens want to continue to agitate for stronger protections in this area. I am also concerned about reports that retirement villages are moving into aged-care service provision and that cases are reported in the media where people are being moved to new contracts without proper consultation and without their understanding. I am deeply concerned that some providers may see the dollars rather than the human beings.

The Australian Greens have a vision for older Australians to participate fully in their communities, while having peace of mind that the services and supports available to them will provide the quality of care and support they need at every stage of their lives. This should extend to alternative housing options being offered to our older Australians. Given many older Australians are experiencing more unstable housing and financial stress and some are living in houses that are inappropriate for their needs, we have to ensure that any alternative options are suitable and safe. As people choose to stay in their homes longer, there needs to be more affordable, appropriate and flexible housing options available for older Australians. We must continue to scrutinise such options and ensure that they truly meet the needs of older Australians.

Many older Australians face additional challenges, such as discrimination in the workplace and poverty. Older people are also more likely to experience long-term unemployment and greater difficulty in returning to work. We fundamentally believe that everyone is entitled to a decent quality of life, but it's especially important that all older people have a decent income, including an adequate aged pension, and are able to live with dignity. I am sick of hearing about the suggested negative implications of an ageing population for our budget and our workforce with the common thread that older people are a burden on the health, aged-care and taxation systems. This, of course, is not the reality, and one way the government could show this would be by taking a lead on reforms relating to retirement housing and making sure that laws are genuinely up to the challenges being faced by older Australians. The government must have the political will to address the reforms that are needed. These reforms have not happened in the past, even though some issues to do with retirement villages have previously been identified, and yet we still see people being exploited. This issue needs to be addressed.

The Australian Greens will continue to fight for the rights of older Australians to live with dignity, to have appropriate housing, to have access to decent incomes, to receive quality of care, and to make sure that we have a framework of positive ageing, rather than the dialogue that is constantly run about the burden of ageing Australians. We need to get away from that language and ensure that we take a positive approach to ageing so that people, as they age, can be confident that they can live dignified lives in the accommodation they choose, where they are not exploited and they have access to the quality care that they choose, not forced on them. We will continue to pursue this matter, particularly in relation to those retirement village reforms. This time the government needs to commit to taking action to ensure that these reforms are met. It also needs to work with the states and territories to ensure that they are making the reforms necessary so that people aren't being exploited. We cannot see any more documentaries of people being exploited or reports which portray them as cash cows rather than older Australians, who should have the respect from the whole of our community.