Accessible and assisted transport is vital for older people to reach services, support, doctors, community and family. COTA Victoria has campaigned for many years on the need for increased funding of community transport. We know the health impacts of isolation and loneliness on older people and how this is compounded by a lack of access to transport.
Community transport enables older people to participate in daily life and to live a meaningful life. We urge everyone to support the Victorian Community Transport Association’s call for a fair share of federal funding. Funding in Victoria needs to be increased eightfold just to achieve parity with other states. While New South Wales receives funding of around $8 per person, Victoria receives just $1 per person. Victorian community transport providers are experiencing a dramatic increase in requests and are reporting that they have had to decline nearly 1,000 service requests per month.
You can help with these simple actions:
- sign the petition to the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care
- share the petition with your networks and on social media
- send the infographic to people who need community transport and their families, community organisations and your local members.