With the election result still up in the air, Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA)’s decision to target independent senators in the lead-up appears well-planned.
Following budget cuts of $1.2 billion to the aged care sector in May, ACSA had taken its ‘Old, Frail and Invisible’ campaign straight to the Independent Senators Nick Xenophon (shown here with ACSA's SA and NT CEO Melissa Centofanti) and Andrew Wilkie.
The campaign was aimed at change on three key issues:
- No budget cuts to aged care until a full review is complete
- Funding to help home care providers deal with the upcoming changes to the system
- A plan to deal with the growing demand for aged care workers
With neither party currently holding a majority, it now seems likely the independent senators could see the controversial measures put back into the spotlight.