BRIEF
COTA VICTORIA STATE ELECTION PLATFORM 2014
Dear Members of Parliament, candidates and interested Victorians,
This is COTA’s 2014 State Election Platform. COTA Victoria is the peak organisation representing the diverse voices of older Victorians. Our mission is to advocate for, resource and mobilise older people to create an age friendly Victoria. We undertake systemic advocacy with a particular focus on disadvantaged and isolated older people.
At the 2014 COTA Seniors’ Conference, we launched our State Election Survey, engaging with a broad range of 55+ Victorians to identify current concerns and help set priorities for this Election Platform. Data from the survey revealed compelling evidence of the value of connections for older Victorians: connections to friends and family, to essential services and to local and broader communities. Older Victorians want opportunities to participate, to be active and to continue to contribute. The Platform is informed by the more than 2000 accompanying comments to the survey; many demonstrating the deep loss older people experience when these connections fall short.
Participation and connection are the heart of inclusive and healthy age friendly communities, yet many older people face barriers to these. The vital contribution older people make to our communities needs to be better recognised and robustly supported.
Progress in longevity is to be celebrated, not presented as a ‘burden’ through the lens of ageism.
Yes there are challenges associated with any major demographic change and we need multiple mechanisms to address these. We need to work together to create an Age
Friendly Victoria: a great place for all ages.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our funders from the Victorian Government
Department of Health and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation for supporting our policyrelated and Age Friendly Victoria work.
Yours sincerely,
Sue Hendy CEO

BRIEF: ‘Older Victorians will decide’
AGE FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES
Supporting communities to become age friendly is one of the most effective strategies to promote active ageing. Age friendly communities encourage local governments to implement programs or activities to address local influences on the physical, mental and social wellbeing of older people, creating places where older people live safely, enjoy good health, continue to learn and stay involved. Age Friendly Cities and Communities is an essential policy response reflecting the desire and commitment to promote a good quality of life for older residents. Embedding the meaningful involvement of older residents is vital.
COTA recommends:
 Victoria join the WHO Global Age Friendly Cities and Communities Network
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Fund COTA to partner with the Neighbourhood House sector and Government in a statewide rollout of Age Friendly Victoria
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Embed meaningful involvement of residents in planning communities
HOUSING
COTA Victoria recognises housing as a pillar of active ageing and a key determinant of health and wellbeing. Older people need a diversity of housing options, particularly those on lower incomes. To achieve an equitable housing future for our ageing population, the Victorian
Government needs to start planning now.
COTA recommends:
 An Older People’s Housing Strategy looking at
universal design
affordability and tenure in private rental
protections for retirement village and caravan park residents
new models of public and social housing to support ‘ageing in place’
support for older Victorians at risk of homelessness
(Details in our full State Election Platform)

TRANSPORT
Good access to transport connections is vital for older Victorians, particularly those living in rural, ‘interface’ (surrounding Melbourne) and regional areas of Victoria. Funding public transport (PT) infrastructure is significant, but issues ranging from physical access to frequency of services continue to be impediments. Older Victorians need a community transport system which fully supports PT. We also want affordable taxis for non-drivers.
COTA recommends:
 Develop a sustainable funding model for the delivery of community transport
 Multipurpose Taxi Program to include 75+ recent non-drivers
 Free V-Line weekend travel to the city from rural areas
COST OF LIVING
Cost of living has a major impact on social participation, particularly for pensioners. We need an ongoing commitment to fully fund concessions which reflect true costs of utilities and rates. Add a concession for internet: now essential to social and community participation.
COTA recommends:
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Commit ongoing funding for the State concessions program
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Increased concessions for utilities and council rates
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A concession for internet connection
WORK AND PARTICIPATION
A culture of ageism is apparent in the way older people are viewed. To challenge this, political parties need to articulate a vision for the civic participation, employment and inclusion of older people. Victoria needs public sector and business leaders to model best practice for an ageing workforce and address discrimination. Older jobseekers need funded programs to help them reskill in line with market demands. Learning opportunities that support digital inclusion are essential. Some older people want to volunteer, but ‘risk management’ and professionalisation of roles creates a barrier.
COTA recommends:
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An employment summit for an older workforce
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A Government taskforce on employing older workers
 Public sector leadership in employing 55+ workers
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Fund TAFE programs to reskill older workers for growth sectors
 Increased ICT learning support using a Peer Education model through community based networks such as Neighbourhood Houses

ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES
It is important to remember that we live in communities, not simply in an economy. Older
Victorians want to continue to contribute and need ongoing opportunities for meaningful involvement in planning communities, to maximise health and remain active. Good access, planning and ‘walkability’ are key to age friendly local communities. Yet older peoples’ views are rarely sought. Only by embedding structures of meaningful community engagement with older residents can amenity, walkability and social participation be maximised.
COTA recommends:
 A statutory requirement for local government to involve older people in community Health and Wellbeing planning
 A collaborative strategy to increase walking
HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
Convenient access to local and specialist health appointments is a significant priority for older people. 86% of respondents to a COTA Vic survey cited this as ‘very important’.
Barriers to accessing health and community services often follow a lifelong trajectory of disadvantage or exclusion: we need services that speak to diversity, adapt to location and support us to self-manage our health. We need information and communication in accessible formats. Digital technology is increasingly vital to accessing services as well as to vibrant, participatory and inclusive communities.
COTA recommends:
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Expand telehealth
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Build aged care partnerships in diverse and non-English speaking communities, including newly arrived populations in growth corridors
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Targeted mental health prevention and early intervention
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Pilot an alcohol and drug program for older Victorians
The ‘WHO Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide and Age-friendly Rural and Remote
Communities: A Guide’ identify eight key domains. These domains provide the underpinning structure for COTA’s Policy Council work: housing, transport, outdoor space and buildings, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, social participation, communication and information and health and community services. The recommendations of our Full State Election Platform (attached) are described in the context of these domains.
COTA Victoria is supported by financial assistance from the Victorian Government