Great news 

Three new merit based, (a welcome return),  appointments 

have been made at the Australian Human Rights 

Commission

• Mr Edward Santow as Human Rights Commissioner,
•  the Hon Dr Kay Patterson as Age Discrimination Commissioner and 
• Mr Alastair McEwin as Disability Discrimination Commissioner.

OWN Australia welcomes the 3 new Commissioners and looks forward to establishing a partnership in furthering human rights, particularly the Rights, Dignity and Wellbeing of the Older Women of Australia,  with the Commissioners.

The invisible aged: the people politics forgot

John Watkins in The Guardian 16/5/16

If you needed confirmation that the elderly have been forgotten, you only need to look at the 2016 budget and its attack on residents of aged care facilities

View this email in your browser

How to help residents complete the 2016 Census The 2016 Census will be conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on 9 August. Helping residents fill out forms Where possible, care recipients should complete Census forms in the same way as any member of the public. If you have care recipients who cannot physically fill our their forms, or cannot get help from family members or representatives, you may be able to nominate a staff member to be recruited and paid by the ABS as a Special Field Officer to help. The Special Field Officer can assist care recipients by interview or use information from administrative records to complete the Census form. Using personal information and your responsibilities under the Act Providing information to the ABS on behalf of care recipients who cannot complete the form themselves will not breach your Approved Provider responsibilities. The request from the ABS complies with Division 62 of the Aged Care Act 1997 (the Act). How Census data will be used The 2016 Census will be an important source of data for planning by the department and other agencies that provide aged care services. It will help us understand how our population is ageing and where older people live. It can also provide information about population mobility and identify areas that older people are relocating to. Well-informed planning will allow us to target aged care services to Australians who need them. ABS Area Supervisors are currently visiting aged care services to talk about the Special Field Officer role and how you can ensure Census counts are as accurate as possible. Please contact the ABS directly on the number below if you have any questions. Census Regional Management Unit Contact number NSW / ACT 1800 683 051 Victoria 1800 151 913 Queensland 1800 482 517 South Australia 1800 018 101 Western Australia 1800 642 381 Tasmania 1800 022 973 Northern Australia 1800 623 273 Ageing and Aged Care Group Department of Health

Copyright © 2016 Advice to the Aged Care Industry, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you provided your details to the department or you opted in to receive our advice messages. If you are not already receiving these messages for the aged care sector, you can subscribe by visitingdss.gov.au/AgedCareUpdates If you are a provider of aged care services (funded under the Commonwealth Aged Care Act 1997) unsubscribing from this service, the department requests that you supply an alternate email address, e.g. group mailbox, to continue receiving important information for your organisation. Do you need to update your contact details? You can update your subscription preferences in MailChimp and change the email address and/or organisation type, or by emailing aacei@health.gov.au with your new contact details. Machinery of Government changes Due to recent government changes, responsibility for ageing and aged care has moved to the Department of Health. Information is currently still available on the DSS website (www.dss.gov.au/ageing-and-aged-care). We will notify you when information will be transferred to the Department of Health website (www.health.gov.au/ageing-and-aged-care).

A MESSAGE TO MEMBERS & ASSOCIATES                                                                          

The Older Women’s Network Australia Incorporated notes, with the usual dismay and anger, which has now replaced disappointment, that not once in the budget nor in the budget reply were Older Women mentioned. We are tired of this invisibility and now call on all of our members to respond. WE Vote, SO LET US ALL HAVE OUR VOICES HEARD

We are tired of being referred to as the “leaners”, as the “welfare cheats” as a “drain on the society”, as the elderly (although some of us may be). We represent a large voting block us women over 55 years of age and we are tired of being ignored. We contribute over 23 billion dollars annually to the economy in our voluntary, thus, unpaid contributions to society and yet we have no recognition.

We call on our thousands of members and associates to seriously consider where their vote is going. Which political party or Independent is proposing a society wherein older women are treated with dignity and respect. Where the efforts of the older generations are acknowledged and where older women, in particular, are treated with regard and respect and this consideration, dear friends, may have you further consider changing who it is you vote for.

Take note Politicians we are not to be ignored! WE VOTE!

President, OWN Australia Inc.

OUR ABC TV

HUGE HIT TO ABC IN 2016 BUDGET

ALMOST $50M CUT OVER NEXT THREE YEARS

The 2016 Budget Papers reveal more severe cuts to the ABC, adding up to almost $50m over the corporation’s next three-year agreement with the government.

The ABC’s Triennial Funding was released as part of this week’s budget.

It revealed more than $6m would be axed from the ABC News Division annually, along with millions-of-dollars worth of cuts to the development of the ABC’s online and mobile capacity.

In a media release, the ABC says it will need to withdraw services as a result of the budget cuts.

"ABC News will seek to maintain as many of the [national and regional] initiatives as possible, with a focus on delivering for Australians in regional and outer-suburban areas. However, there will necessarily be some changes to staffing and programming in line with the reduced allocation of funds.”

We are very disappointed with this news.  We have been pushing hard for more funds for ABC Regional Services, but it appears the Government is determined to weaken further the national broadcaster. 

So, the Government is continuing to reduce the ABC’s resources, making it impossible for it to meet its Charter obligations. Let the battle continue – we are campaigning in the Marginal Seats throughout Australia and asking people to consider the ABC’s predicament before deciding how to Vote.

Please pass the news onto your friends and encourage them to join and/or get involved. You can do this by forwarding this email to them using the button below. And they can go to our new website to join and/or donate to the urgent cause:www.abcfriends.org.au

The Age Pension is not a loan but a safety net

Monday, 15 February 2016

“The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s suggestion that the Age Pension should be a loan, paid off through the sale of a pensioner’s home is offensive to low income people who rely on the pension in order to survive”, said Amelia Christie, Manager, Research and Advocacy.

“The pension is a safety net for those who need it. A recent OECD report found that more than one third of Australian pensioners are living in poverty.[1]

“CPSA is sick of the business lobby arguing that low income people are somehow cash cows that can be milked for savings. It is the revenue side of the budget that must be looked at - low income people should be left alone. 

“We’re not seeing calls for the mining industry to pay back the subsidies it receives so why are pensioners being targeted?

“If the Government and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry are so concerned about a pensioner’s home being transferred to their kids, perhaps we should look at bringing back death duties for the wealthy”, said Ms Christie.