industry & reform
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When you really boil it down , no election has ever turned on aged care .
Care factor
Do we really care that aged care is in crisis ?
By Pat Garcia
All of us know aged care is in crisis .
The problem is we don ’ t really care .
Harsh ? Perhaps . But it ’ s an easily testable proposition . So that ’ s what Catholic Health Australia did during the Eden-Monaro by-election .
When we polled voters in the bellwether federal electorate we found 84 per cent believed “ the aged care system is in crisis ”. We then asked these same voters to consider seven issues and rank them in terms of importance . Aged care came a dismal last . Less than 4 per cent of respondents raised aged care as an issue driving their vote . In the 18-34 age group not one person nominated investing in aged care as having an impact on their vote .
I ’ ve been involved in state and federal political campaigns for years and I have little doubt the major parties will have seen similar research . So is it really any wonder that aged care has been left to languish in the political desert ?
We can howl at our politicians for allowing aged care to descend into crisis . But they ’ ve been responding to us .
Our decision-makers know the Royal Commission into Aged Care has described our system as a “ sad and shocking system that diminishes Australia as a nation ”.
But they also know that no election has ever turned on aged care . Swing voters in swing seats like Eden-Monaro recognise the crisis . But it doesn ’ t influence their vote .
Since I started engaging with aged care last year I ’ ve spoken to any number of leaders in the sector , who are bemused by how little attention governments seem to pay to their submissions . They ’ ve asked me if they needed better evidence . I ’ ve suggested that ’ s not the issue .
Every intergenerational report since 2002 has plainly shown the need for increased funding . The reason government doesn ’ t provide it is not they ’ re unconvinced . It ’ s that they know their neglect won ’ t be punished by the electorate .
That ’ s not to say they ’ re heartless monsters . It ’ s just a reflection of how our modern democracy works .
So why don ’ t voters put pressure on governments to act ? Partly the answer has to be cultural . We ’ re all ageist to some degree , even if we don ’ t recognise it . Ever complimented someone by saying how young they look ? Did you consider the converse ? In a society in which youth is revered , the presence of the aged makes us feel uncomfortable .
But difficult though the situation is , it doesn ’ t mean we have to accept aged care calcifying as a pariah issue .
COVID has been a wake-up call . And those of us who care about aged care can also take considerable inspiration from the
‘ Every Australian Counts ’ campaign that gave rise to the NDIS .
The challenges faced by disabled Australians was hardly a hot button political issue 10 years ago . But ‘ Every Australian Counts ’ helped build the case and pave the way for billions of dollars of public funds to flow to a group of vulnerable Australians who had previously been overlooked .
The aged care sector needs its ‘ Every Australian Counts ’ campaign .
During the Eden Monaro by-election , Catholic Health Australia ran a little pilot , a ‘ Fight for Better Aged Care ’ campaign in both Merimbula and Bega .
Despite only three weeks of exposure and a tightly constrained budget , one in four residents in Merimbula and one in five residents in Bega noticed the messaging . Among those who had been exposed to the campaign , the strongly held conviction that the government should prioritise fixing the aged care system bumped up from 40 per cent to 60 per cent .
This shows there is political hope . The right public awareness campaign can move hearts and minds .
Political scientists talk about ‘ Overton windows ’, the range of policies politically acceptable to the population at a given moment in time . As coronavirus continues to menace our aged care sector , it ’ s likely the window is shifting .
Even as the pandemic-induced recession takes hold , we still live in one of the very wealthiest societies the world has ever known . With more time , a larger budget , and commitment from the sector I believe we can campaign to build the public support necessary to start treating our elders with the respect they deserve . ■
Pat Garcia is CEO of Catholic Health Australia . agedcareinsite . com . au 17