Posts tagged Aged policy
The Unequal Burden of Australian Pension Reform on low-income women
The Unequal Burden of Australian Pension Reform on low-income women

Older women are the fastest-growing cohort at risk of homelessness in Australia, reflecting their increased financial insecurity, which is created by a cocktail of gendered social norms, differential career trajectories for women compared to their male peers, and the tax and transfer system. A key policy lever that is reducing older women’s financial independence is the increase in the qualifying age for the Age Pension. Originally legislated in 1994, this reform has not been fully examined for its impacts on older women, until now. Today’s analysis from Todd Morris (@ToddMorrisecon) shares research he conducted while with the University of Melbourne School of Business and Economics (@BusEcoNews) on how this policy reform has contributed to the financial insecurity of older women in Australia. This analysis first appeared on the Austaxpolicy blog; you can read it in its original form here: LINK The Unequal Burden on Women of Australian Pension Reform. You can read the full article here: : The Unequal Burden of Retirement Reform: Evidence from Australia

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Womens Policy Action TankWomen's Policy Action TankGender Inequity, financial wellbeing, Aging, Aged policy, retirement, Poverty
Opinion: aged care crisis shows a disaster waiting in workplace ‘flexibility’
Opinion: aged care crisis shows a disaster waiting in workplace ‘flexibility’

The second spike of Covid-19 in Victoria which has resulted in a large number of outbreaks in aged care homes is shining a light on the policies and practices of how governments and the private sector manage aged care. In this blog post Bernard Keene discusses challenges within the aged care sector such as casualisation of the workforce that require immediate attention in the wake of the corona virus crisis.

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Issues, Policy and governancePower to PersuadeAged policy, COVID-19, government, Policy making
We need to address questions of gender in assisted dying

This week the Victorian Upper House will debate - and possibly pass - the Assisted Dying Bill. This legislation is extremely emotive, and emotions have been at the heart of the discussion in the wake of the protracted and painful deaths of family members experienced by MP Jill Hennessy and Premier Dan Andrews. However, it is critical to ensure adequate public debate on this issue prior to its passage precisely because it is emotive. The medical community itself is divided on this topic, with the Australian Midwifery & Nursing Federation supporting it, while the Australian Medical Association and Palliative Care Australia are both opposed.

The merits of a policy must be considered, not in the light of those who have high levels of personal agency, but in terms of how it will affect those in the margins. As always, the Women's Policy Action Tank is interested in how policies may impact differently on women compared to men. Today's analysis, by Rachel Wong and originally appearing in The Conversation, provides a gender analysis on the Assisted Dying Bill. 

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Womens Policy Action Tank, Policy and governance, IssuesWomen's Policy Action Tankpolicy making, Aged policy, health
Asking the experts: Using the lived experience of older adults with depression to inform policy and practice

Older adults are highly motivated to participate in research and rate depression as a priority research topic. So why aren’t we involving them more in research and policy development? Meg Polacsek, PhD Candidate, Victoria University, considers the importance of engaging with these members of our community.

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Issues, Policy and governancePower to Persuadeageing, Aging, Aged policy, Lived/consumer experience