GCMA’s response to the Commonwealth Government Intergenerational Report (August 2023)
The GCMA welcomes the Commonwealth Government’s Intergenerational Report, exploring Australia’s future to 2063.
What we highlight from the nation’s debate is the active role older Australians can further play in meeting the nation’s challenges as we strive for greater prosperity for all.
Global Centre for Modern Ageing CEO Julianne Parkinson was interviewed by Sky News’ NewsDay program on 25 August 2023 about the release of the 2023 Intergenerational Report, projecting the outlook of Australia’s economy and Commonwealth Government budget to 2062-63. Read the full transcript below.
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00:00:00 Tom Connell
The latest Intergenerational Report outlines expectations the ‘Care Economy’ share of GDP will double over the next 4 decades. It's driven by Australia's growing and ageing population. Joining me to discuss more of the implications for the aged care sector, as CEO of the Global Centre for Modern Ageing® Julianne Parkinson, thanks for your time. A lot of the stats we're getting are raw figures on sort of, ages of population. But, fewer and fewer of us are in physical jobs. Our health is improving. Are we going to realistically see people working a lot later into life? And if so, is this whole tax burden conversation a bit overdone?
00:00:34 Julianne Parkinson
Well, I think Tom, it's not so much just about the tax burden itself, but it is a reality that we are living longer than ever before and more of us are on the planet than ever before. And that's reflected here in Australia. What's interesting is, I think, for us to be open to the changing mindsets that people have, that some people may need to work for longer. Some people may choose to work for longer, and some people maybe, for both of those reasons.
00:01:01 Tom Connell
Yeah, one of the other big things is all the different studies into brain health and warding off Alzheimer's that retirement, especially sudden retirement in this old fashioned element of working five days full time, and then going to zero - I think it's just going to be done less and less. And there could be benefits at across the place. I know there's exceptions for some of the physical labour, but as I said, plenty of other jobs, people who don't involve that.
00:01:28 Julianne Parkinson
Oh, I absolutely agree. I mean, there's going to be a change in, not just individuals’ mindsets, but also for organisations and governments to change the way we think about workforce engagement and transitions. People will have and choose to, I believe into the future, want to be engaged in work, but it's work that they'd like to be part of that design, and I think this is a new frontier for inclusive workforces of the future, which include older adults as a really sensible and intelligent component of the change we need in Australia, to enable us to achieve the transformation and the prosperity. I believe, and our organisation and many others see that older adults contribute to the prosperity of Australia going forward, as distinct from being seen as an economic and a social burden. It's how we arrive at policies and changes in our workplace and work practises that will open up these opportunities. People working in more flexible environments and perhaps in ways that they didn't work - or in vocations that they didn't work in in previous times - and that includes paid and unpaid roles.
00:02:35 Tom Connell
Well, you say unpaid. You're tapping into something there. I must admit. Not sure where we'd be, me and my wife without the grandparents. And this is another thing - that it's such a cultural shift. If you like it, that when people do get more time, they're putting so much more time into grandkids and that that's helping affordability on childcare. But, you know, we talk about childcare workers and shortages there that that that again can be a positive part of that puzzle, I suppose.
00:03:01 Julianne Parkinson
Oh, absolutely. I mean, we see older adults playing an amazing - and often silent role - and you cite their engagements with families, but volunteering more broadly into community is a huge contribution that older adults play and not to mention the financial support they've provided, by the way of ‘The Bank of Mum and Dad’.
00:03:22 Tom Connell
Yeah, no. Amen to all the assistance there! Not going to question any of it. Aged care is obviously a big one. Is there something just fundamental that needs to sort of transform here? Because there's been countless stories of residents not happy, workers… There's a real worker shortage, so presumably they think things could be done in a better way. Do we have almost an old school approach to how we're doing this?
00:03:48 Julianne Parkinson
Well, I certainly agree that we're not thinking about it in its current form, and we're not alive really to the changing needs and wants of older Australians as they're choosing to live. So… Ageing well is no longer an aspiration, it's an expectation - and I don't think we're listening acutely enough, with evidence, and informing product developers and organisations of these changing needs and wants. So yes, we have, you know, definitely obvious and evident challenges for our ageing - and particularly for our frail. But, let's be reminded too that there's a broader group of older Australians, you know, around 94% of people over the age of 65 live at home. And that's a number that's not often socialised in the public domain. So, I think that's super important to realise - that for the percentage of people who are living in aged care (and we do need to be addressing this, as we have been through the Royal Commission and other concerted efforts across the sector), there is a larger number of older Australians coming down the line, so to speak, who are wanting to live and age well at home - and that's where I think this emergence of AgeTech® or technology enabled-solutions, sitting alongside that are co-designed, sitting alongside older people's aspirations, where product developers learn and test and validate what's required, and that includes for the workforce, that will be part of the solution to supply these services and products into people' homes, creates enormous opportunities - not by way of just a new type of consumer - a market to be thinking about, with vibrancy to improve our economy, but also… The broader roles in digital change and digital education that we can provide where older adults add to not just the workforce for aged care or even care services in the home, but the broader contribution to the Australian economy, including high-growth sectors such as defence.
00:05:42 Tom Connell
So, you allude to, I think the stat was 94% of older Australians, or retired Australians, living at home, and not in aged care. That's where people wanna stay if they can. Obviously you're talking about, you know, having good amenities nearby and so on. But what about tech is it, does tech need to be better for old people or do old people need to be better at tech?
00:06:01 Julianne Parkinson
A little of both, but this is a great opportunity. So yes, we're supportive of digital skills being a continuing investment that we make in ourselves, and that others make in us as we as Australians age. But equally, a lost opportunity by product developers for not perhaps designing products with older adults in mind. I mean, as the Intergenerational Report clearly states, older adults are a growing and fast-paced consumer cohort. Now - most products haven't been designed with older adults at the centre of the frame, and that's particularly true of technology products. But, therein lies the opportunity to work alongside and co-design and test with older adults, to ensure that these new and future products are fit for purpose.
00:06:49 Tom Connell
Julianne Parkinson, thank you for your time.
00:06:52 Julianne Parkinson
You're very welcome. Thank you so much.
GCMA’s Focus:
Inclusive workforces of the future
Skilling older Australians for cross-sectorial workforce demand
The role AgeTech® can play in supporting people to live well at home
Call out to product developers to independently test and validate new products aimed at older adults as part of their consumer target market.
