COTA Australia has applauded the Prime Minister’s decision to elevate the Ageing portfolio to Cabinet, with Mark Butler’s appointment to Cabinet as Minister for Mental Health and Ageing and Minister for Social Inclusion.
COTA Australia Chief Executive, Ian Yates, said that COTA had been calling for ageing to become a Cabinet portfolio for the last decade.
Other Cabinet changes were also welcomed, with COTA calling on the Prime Minister and the Treasurer to make the 2012 Federal Budget the ageing and aged care budget.
This important development occurred on the same day as the release of the report from the Advisory Panel on Economic Participation of Senior Australians.
More information is available in COTA’s media release.
Hi susan. Have been a victim of age discrimination. I used to salary sacrifice $200 a week but when I turned 65 I was told this was no longer possible so now I put in an account after tax so now I pay extra tax. Then when I turned 70, I asked what happened to my compulsory super contribution and was told you can no longer get it because you are past eligible age. I am a fit and healthy 70 year and a bus driver, have a medical every 6 months and do the same job as everybody else. This to me was a real kick in the bum. Keep up the good work. Ted.