Released 29th September 1998
AGED CARE
In the last 20 years, the number of Australians over 65 years of age has grown by more than one million. Currently there are approximately 2.2 million people who are classified as aged and this number is expected to double in the next thirty years.
The policies of successive governments have made the elderly feel as though they are an encumbrance upon society, whilst their basic needs are continually being eroded through budgetary restraints, causing a growing feeling of insecurity and uncertainty amongst older Australians.
One Nation is determined to ensure that aged people will have a voice in government decisions that impact on their lives and welfare, and that the elderly shall be treated with dignity and respect.
We recognise that many people, because of their maturity and experience, still have the potential to make a valuable contribution to Australian society generally, and they should be encouraged to do so in order that they can lead independent, active and healthy lives.
Qualification for Aged Pension
All Australian citizens who have contributed to society and the building of this country must be looked after upon retirement. The age pension should not be regarded as a social welfare burden but as a just entitlement.
One Nation will retain the present qualification for an age pension but, in addition, requires that recipients be Australian citizens and reside in Australia. Present reciprocal agreements, eg with the United Kingdom, are costing Australia significant outlays as we top up immigrant’s non-indexed pensions from their country of origin. One Nation will review this situation.
Pension Rate
The Howard government has linked the single pension rate to 25% of Male Total Average Weekly Earnings (MTAWE) as opposed to basing it on the customary Cost of Living Index (CPI). As a result of the government's legislation to benchmark pensions to 25% of MTAWE, the single pension rate increased by $6.80 per fortnight.
One Nation regards the basis on which the CPI is presently determined as being totally inappropriate, as most emphasis is derived from mortgage interest rates and the price of new cars, with food representing only 18% of the CPI basket. Aged pensioners are more concerned with the cost impact on their disposable income of the basic necessities of living such as food, household necessities and clothing.
One Nation will continue to index the single pension rate to the CPI or MTAWE, whichever is the higher. Where MTAWE is used, the rate will be 30%.
One Nation will, as a matter of urgency, review the basis on which the CPI is determined.
Assets and Income Test
The elderly in our society are finding it more and more difficult to maintain a decent and reasonable standard of living. Those who are able to earn extra income by casual work should be encouraged to do so, not only for the financial rewards, but also for the sake of their morale and well being.
One Nation will investigate removing the necessity for an income test for income from casual work for pension entitlements until fortnightly income exceeds $150 per fortnight (presently $100/fn) for singles and $262 per fortnight (presently $176/fn) for a couple.
It is unreasonable for non-income producing assets such as stamp and coin collections, antiques and other items which, in many cases, have been inherited and in all probability are of great sentimental value to be taken into account when assessing pension eligibility.
One Nation will remove non-income-earning assets from consideration when determining eligibility for pension entitlements.
Deeming
In the calculation of pension entitlements, pensioners are subjected to deeming legislation that assumes a certain level of income from bank accounts and investments, regardless of the actual income. Superannuation and rollover assets (from September 1998) are included, as is the transfer of assets over $10,000 in any one year to family members.
One Nation will repeal all deeming legislation covering investments, savings and the transfer of assets.
Residential Aged Care
One Nation is committed to assisting elderly people to remain living in their own homes for as long as possible. However, of the 2.2 million aged people, there are approximately 75,000 who are frail and who have no option but to enter a residential nursing home because they can no longer carry out the basic functions of everyday living.
There are a number of issues associated with the elderly leaving their own home or retirement village unit to enter a nursing home. These include concern over disposal of homes and retirement village units owned immediately before entry to a nursing home and the vexed question of the extent to which individuals should fund their residential care.
One Nation supports the concept of the government continuing to subsidise the cost of aged care and for persons being required to contribute to the cost of their residential care; provided that no person who is assessed as in need of residential care, is denied access to hostel or nursing home care on the grounds of inability to meet a portion of the cost appropriate to their means and ability to pay. A proportion of residential care places subsidised by government funding will be reserved for people receiving full or partial social services and veterans’ affairs benefits.
One Nation will take action to redress the present imbalance of funding between states – eg Queensland receives approximately 20% less per resident per day than other states. This differentiation is based on differing costs of living and costs of care between states, but this is questionable and needs review.
Capital funding of run-down aged government care facilities (particularly nursing homes that have not passed building certification assessments) is inadequate. A national study conducted in 1997 identifies that 62% of nursing home buildings were over 15 years old and 25% over 30 years old, while in Victoria particularly a large number of nursing homes have failed assessment.
This situation should be rectified as a matter of urgency as part of the government's capital works program. It is not reasonable to expect new residents to finance the rebuilding of facilities that have been run down over many years.
One Nation will investigate the feasibility of appropriating a small percentage of compulsory superannuation contributions for capital works for aged care facilities – a trust fund would be established for this purpose.
One Nation will initiate a complete review of residential aged care in Australia.
Pension-Age Farmers
One Nation fully appreciates the disadvantages aged farmers and their partners face in having to work well into their old age because of insufficient farm income to support themselves and their families.
The Howard Government's scheme to allow low-income pension-age farmers to transfer their farms under the value of $500,000 without penalty is totally inadequate since any property of that value is unlikely to be viable.
One Nation will initiate an urgent review into the plight of pension-age farmers.
Self-funded Retirees
Such retirees (approximately half a million), who were living and working in Australia from 1943, contributed to both the Superannuation Act 1943 and the National Welfare Fund Act 1943. Aged pensions and benefits have compensated the present aged who compulsorily contributed under these laws and who qualified for these benefits in their old age.
One Nation believes that there should be a special contribution to self-funded retirees as recognition of the unjust treatment that they have received from previous governments. This will be subject to review.
Hospital/medical benefits will be available under Medicare; access to a health care card including concessional pharmaceutical benefits will be subject to a means test.
THE DISABLED
Approximately 18% of Australians (over three million) suffer some form of intellectual or physical disability. Of this total, about two million are under 65 years of age.
One Nation will ensure that all those with disabilities are respected for their individual worth and dignity, and that, as far as possible, the disabled should be involved in the planning of programs that directly affect them.
One Nation will also consider centre based care options for young people who become disabled through traumatic injury such as quadriplegic vehicle accident victims – their only option at present is often an aged persons nursing home.
Funds are now being directed to paying for services to be supplied in residential environments for mentally and physically disadvantaged people. One Nation recognises many disabled people benefit from living in the community, but there are others who need centre based care. Both services require realistic staffing levels. In the case of community based care, selection criteria for staff and selection criteria for the disabled are critical. Much of the community concern at present stems from fear that residential areas will suffer from inappropriate placement of intellectually disabled people with anti-social behaviour.
The policy of shifting the emphasis away from ‘centre based care’ of the mentally and physically disadvantaged to community based housing will be reassessed. Subject to this review One Nation will allocate additional appropriations for:
GENERAL
Home and Community Care
$70 million is being or has been cut from Home and Community Care programs in the last three years. Funds will be reinstated for Community Care programs such as Meals on Wheels, community transport and home help services, which are essential to elderly and disabled people. This will allow elderly and disabled people to continue to live in their own homes with some support rather than being placed in nursing home care where there is not nearly the same quality of life. It will take considerable capital input to redress the years of neglect by previous governments to raise the level of the quality of hostel and nursing home facilities required to care for the increasing number of persons requiring aged care support. This will only be possible if the taxation system is overhauled. The concept of ‘aging in place’ is supported strongly.
Carers
Carers are a national asset as they provide 74% of all care and support and frail aged and disabled people. Carers make the ultimate sacrifice, dedicating a large part of their lives to those in their care and at the same time saving the Australian taxpayers over $16 billion per year by providing this support in the home (Aust. Consumers Assoc., Choice, June 1998, p. 18). For too long these selfless people have been ignored in their cry for additional help in their demanding and vital work.
One Nation recognises that Carers incur extra expenditure in looking after people in the home environment and that in many cases these costs can be substantial. No account is currently taken of the lose opportunities to the Carer in terms of paid employment and, despite the long and arduous hours that Carers frequently have to work each day, when they seek some respite, often none is available.
One Nation will initiate a review of Carers' benefits with the following options being considered as part of that review:
One Nation will initiate an inquiry into all aspects of the Commonwealth Respite for Carers' Program, particularly with regard to availability and funding.
Dental Services
The Commonwealth Dental Health Program was abolished in January 1997. This is forcing many thousands of pensioners to wait, often in considerable pain, for up to five year for dental health treatment, a situation which One Nation regards as deplorable.
One Nation will restore Tied State Grants for Dental Services to all Health Card Holders. In addition, the allocation will be increased to $60 million for the first full year to assist in clearing the large backlog of people requiring treatment.
Tied Grants
One Nation will require Commonwealth Grants to the States to be tied to State appropriations by mutual agreement so that Grants cannot be delivered to State budget areas outside the limits of the agreements.