At least 15 people have been named in the Aged Care Taskforce which will examine the sector’s future funding model, including the possibility of this organisation’s Plan B – co-contributions.
Specifically, the Taskforce will provide advice on:
- funding and contribution approaches to support innovation in the delivery of care,
- a fair and equitable approach to assessing the means of older people accessing residential and in-home aged care, including the scope of income and assets included in the assessment of means,
- issues and trade-offs for including and excluding different service types in the new in-home aged care program (the service list),
- consumer contributions for in-home aged care, and reforms that support a future transition to a single in-home aged care system, and
- reforms to arrangements for pricing and funding hotel and accommodation costs in residential aged care, including the phasing out of refundable accommodation deposits (RADs)
“We must modernise a Byzantine system to be future-facing,” Minister for Aged Care, Anika Wells, told the Press Club in Canberra, ACT, today.
The Taskforce will now meet monthly and provide the Federal Government with funding options for consideration and a recommended package in December. A report with interim advice will also be delivered in October.
The members of the Aged Care Taskforce are:
Anika Wells: Minister for Aged Care (Chair)
Nigel Ray PSM (Deputy Chair): the former World Bank Executive Director, represented Australia as an Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund. Had a distinguished career at the Commonwealth Treasury.
Rosemary Huxtable PSM: a retired senior Australian public servant. She was the Secretary of the Department of Finance from December 2016 to August 2022.
Professor Tom Calma AO: Chancellor of Canberra University. An Aboriginal Australian human rights and social justice campaigner, and 2023 senior Australian of the Year.
Pat Sparrow: COTA Australia CEO, and ex CEO of former aged care peak body Aged and Community Services Australia.
Margaret Walsh OAM: National Deputy President, Association Of Independent Retirees, and CEO of Valued Independent People.
Tom Symondson: Chief Executive of aged care peak body, Aged and Community Care Providers Association.
John Watkins AM: Catholic Health Australia Chair, former CEO of Alzheimer’s Australia and former NSW Deputy Premier.
Mary Patetsos AM: Chairperson of Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia from 2017-2022, and member of the National Aged Care Advisory Council.
Mike Baird AO: HammondCare CEO and former NSW Premier from 2014-2017.
Grant Corderoy: Senior Partner at aged care accountants StewartBrown. Initiated the StewartBrown Aged Care Financial Performance Benchmark Service in 1995 which has grown to be the dominant benchmarking service for the sector.
Professor John McCallum: retired in January after five years’ service as CEO of National Seniors Australia. Presented eight submissions to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Janine Walker AM: a human resources expert with a background in health, academia and broadcasting. An Adjunct Professor in the Griffith Business School.
Thomas Walker: Lead Economist at Think Forward, and a researcher and advocate for intergenerational fairness in Australia’s policymaking, and;
Union representation.
Click HERE for the taskforce’s terms of reference.
