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COTA NT's Sue Shearer wants Territorians to have more control over their aged care packages following Federal reforms · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio right now is Sushi or
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: she's the CEO of the Council of the Aging here
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Sue, Good morning Katie. Long time.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: No no, I haven't seen you for a while. It's
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: wonderful to see you in the studio.
• 0:12
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
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  Speaker 1: Now. These lots happening this morning, but we do know
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: that bill has passed through Parliament this morning which will
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: allow the Northern Territory, if it passes through the Senate
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  Speaker 1: as well well, to have our own say on whether
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: we allow voluntary assisted die and other decisions that we
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: might want to make here in the territory. Pass through
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  Speaker 1: ninety nine to thirty seven.
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  Speaker 3: It sure did, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Is a momentous occasion, really, you know, we've all lobbied
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  Speaker 2: long and hard. Then we change tact as well too,
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: and hopefully which they did the House of Reps and
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  Speaker 2: hopefully the Senate will realize it as well. It's not
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  Speaker 2: about passing the voluntary sister dying. It's about giving us
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: back the right to pass it and discuss it. So
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  Speaker 2: very different conversation. I think that's why it passed lah
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  Speaker 2: the well in the House of Representatives, because they realized
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  Speaker 2: they're not voting on voluntary sister dying. We want to
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  Speaker 2: be treated the same as every other Australian citizen and
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  Speaker 2: be able to make those decisions for ourselves. So it
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  Speaker 2: is it's I sent Marshall an email. He was watching
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  Speaker 2: the debate, so he's rather thrilled and hopefully will be
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  Speaker 2: even more thrilled And it's totally restored when it goes
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  Speaker 2: to the Senate.
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  Speaker 1: Now when you say, Marshall, I'm assuming that you need
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  Speaker 1: the former Chief Minister.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, it's right.
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  Speaker 1: And look, I think that fundamentally we as Territorians, we
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  Speaker 1: elect our politicians here in the Northern Territory to represent
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  Speaker 1: us and to represent our views, and that we should
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  Speaker 1: have the opportunity for them to actually, as our reps,
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  Speaker 1: make that decision inside the Northern Territory Parliament, rather than
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  Speaker 1: us not being able to even have the opportunity to
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  Speaker 1: have our say on it.
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  Speaker 2: Well, even Melanderira McCarthy, who I don't think totally supports
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  Speaker 2: voluntary sister dying, supports the fact that we should be
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: able to make those decisions. So again it's all about
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  Speaker 2: church you rights. So restoring church you rights back to
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  Speaker 2: us when we put it in a ninety ninety five
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  Speaker 2: but really then Katie only passed by one vote in
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  Speaker 2: the Northern CHURCHI Parlament was a very hotly contested debate.
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  Speaker 2: There were submissions from all around the world, even from
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  Speaker 2: the Vatican about voluntary sister dying, so we were ahead
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  Speaker 2: of our time. But then, as we know, Kevin Andrews
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  Speaker 2: and Tony Windsor decided, well know, we're not mature enough
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  Speaker 2: to make those decisions.
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  Speaker 3: And also because we obviously.
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  Speaker 2: Didn't have a Senate, it couldn't be debated in two houses.
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  Speaker 2: So it was really obviously the wrong decision.
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  Speaker 3: But now a wrong will be righted, which is fantastic news.
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  Speaker 1: So as the CEO of the Council of the Aging
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  Speaker 1: here in the territory, what a scene is saying to
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  Speaker 1: you about this?
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  Speaker 2: We had eighty eight percent of our senior territorians would.
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  Speaker 3: Like the choice.
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  Speaker 2: We were not negating obviously hospice services or palace dive
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  Speaker 2: care services. But again it's just all about choice. It's
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  Speaker 2: mainly about the choice. So again, you know, a bit
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  Speaker 2: like in with every other thing, we want to be
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  Speaker 2: in charge of our life and we want to be
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  Speaker 2: able to make the choice how we say goodbye to
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  Speaker 2: loved ones and choose maybe.
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  Speaker 3: The date or the time that we do it.
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  Speaker 2: And so that's the main area that seniors wanted to
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  Speaker 2: Whether or not they agree with it, or whether or
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  Speaker 2: not they use it, it's an entirely different matter, but
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  Speaker 2: it's about the choice.
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  Speaker 1: Well, so I do think that it is, you know,
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  Speaker 1: it comes down to it is that one final choice
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  Speaker 1: for a lot of people. If you're suffering from a
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  Speaker 1: terminal illness or you know, or whatever situation you are in.
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  Speaker 1: There needs to obviously be those safeguards in place. We
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  Speaker 1: need to make sure that people have got everything they
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  Speaker 1: need when it comes to palliative care. But it is
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  Speaker 1: it does come down to that one final choice that
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  Speaker 1: people have got.
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  Speaker 3: Us and you're able to say goodbye.
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  Speaker 2: I guess when you know you're saying goodbye and you
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  Speaker 2: can recognize the faces of your loved ones, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we can all get we've all been through that, Catie,
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  Speaker 2: you have and I have well with my mum, and
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  Speaker 2: so so yeah, it's it's a hard enough time, but
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  Speaker 2: when you don't get the chance to say goodbye.
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  Speaker 3: But I said this very we'll probably end up in tears.
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  Speaker 3: I can see that, right, it's such a tough thing.
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  Speaker 3: It is. It's all about choice, absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: So let's move along because we know that age care
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  Speaker 1: reforms have passed through Federal Parliament to overhaul funding for
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  Speaker 1: the sector. They're among a number of recommendations made by
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  Speaker 1: the Royal Commission into aged Care, with the Federal government
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  Speaker 1: committed to spending over nineteen point one billion dollars to
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  Speaker 1: reform the age care system over the next five years.
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  Speaker 1: We know that there's been I think there was one
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  Speaker 1: forum last night, is that correct?
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  Speaker 2: It was one yesterday where you had Ian Yates, who's
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  Speaker 2: a CEO of CODA Australia who walks the halls of Parliament,
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  Speaker 2: lobbing on behalf of all of us and who we
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  Speaker 2: obviously meet with a National Policy Council all codes do
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  Speaker 2: and so to represent everybody. And then we had Janet Anderson,
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  Speaker 2: who is, like i'd like to say, the big Kahuna,
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  Speaker 2: the Age Care Quality and Safety Commissioner. So she's a
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  Speaker 2: regulator for age care residential services and obviously a few
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  Speaker 2: other things and changes to the Act to give her
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  Speaker 2: more powers, which is desperately needed after what we saw
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  Speaker 2: happen during COVID and things like that. And then unfortunately
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  Speaker 2: we did have doctor K Patterson, and I hope doctor
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  Speaker 2: Patterson's listening. She arrived in Darwin and got COVID and
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  Speaker 2: she just her voice just wasn't good enough to even
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  Speaker 2: do a zoom or a teams meeting yesterday. She's a
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  Speaker 2: Human Rights Commissioner for Australia. So hopefully we'll go down
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  Speaker 2: to Alis this afternoon. We might be able to do
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  Speaker 2: a team with her tomorrow if her voice is okay.
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  Speaker 2: And then obviously the CEO of the ntphn Northern Churchy
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  Speaker 2: Primary Health Network arguil yearsly. So it was high caliber
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  Speaker 2: speakers and everybody you attended was thrilled with the knowledge
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  Speaker 2: of all these people.
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  Speaker 1: And so what needs to be happening here with this
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  Speaker 1: funding when you talk about the Northern Territory, what are
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  Speaker 1: you pushing for?
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  Speaker 2: We're pushing obviously, well, what we want people to be
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  Speaker 2: able to do is actually be in charge of their package,
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  Speaker 2: a bit like the NDI is they get the package,
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  Speaker 2: they can pick how they want to delivered and which
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  Speaker 2: provider they want to deliver it too. So it's a
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  Speaker 2: lot more transparency which has to be We have to
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  Speaker 2: have an independent pricing authority as well, because there's lots
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  Speaker 2: of hidden fees, admin fees.
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  Speaker 3: And all sorts of things. We get called up quite
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  Speaker 3: a bit.
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  Speaker 2: A code of conduct for workers and providers given the
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  Speaker 2: age care quality as I said in Safety Commissioner, a
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  Speaker 2: power to ban people who do the wrong thing. Publication
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  Speaker 2: of provider financial information for better transparency. So when you
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  Speaker 2: get on and you want to pick a provider, all
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  Speaker 2: the costs are there, you know, I remember, it.
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  Speaker 1: Shouldn't be it should be something that exactly, it shouldn't
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  Speaker 1: be that.
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  Speaker 3: Hard at all.
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  Speaker 2: And we've had people who some you know, they get
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  Speaker 2: charged in an age care facility for cup of coffee.
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  Speaker 2: Really that desperate, you know. And stronger governments on age
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  Speaker 2: care providers so they are more accountable to both government
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  Speaker 2: and their consumers. This is all about what we want,
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  Speaker 2: consumer choice and the consumer can control.
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  Speaker 3: That's what we want.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's the main thing absolutely. So from that
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  Speaker 1: meeting yesterday, and I know there's going to be another
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  Speaker 1: one in Ellie Springs, were there any outcomes or are
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  Speaker 1: there any you know, sort of anythings that you'll be
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  Speaker 1: really advocating for.
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  Speaker 2: Well, as we said, consumer choice, but also the responsibility.
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  Speaker 2: We've already advocated for the increase in wages because they're
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  Speaker 2: the low as we know, the lowest paid and the
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  Speaker 2: fair Work commissioned, so that that has happened. But the
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  Speaker 2: other one is more training and more career path and
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  Speaker 2: hopefully when the boarders open up more because I know
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  Speaker 2: there's a whole lot of personal care workers in Tuvalu.
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  Speaker 3: Who want to come over here.
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  Speaker 2: But that opens up another account of worms, Katie. With
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  Speaker 2: the housing shortage, really and as you can see with
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  Speaker 2: the rental vacancy of one point one percent or something,
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  Speaker 2: we're six thousand dwelling short.
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  Speaker 1: How tough is that. They're not on our seniors. You know,
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  Speaker 1: we were just talking to core Logic about the rental
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  Speaker 1: market and also the housing market. How is that for
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  Speaker 1: our seniors.
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  Speaker 3: It's tragic.
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  Speaker 2: There'll be a lot more senior especially women who are homeless.
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  Speaker 2: They're on job start because they can't get a job again.
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  Speaker 3: Ageism comes into it.
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  Speaker 2: That's another thing that we lobby about, you know, fifty
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  Speaker 2: five when they're on and they can't get the pension,
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  Speaker 2: so they're on new start, so they're trying to pay
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  Speaker 2: a high rent or again and if they're on a
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  Speaker 2: pension and waiting for public housing or community housing and
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  Speaker 2: they're trying to pay four or five hundred a week
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  Speaker 2: in rent and they're pensions nine hundred forty.
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  Speaker 1: It makes me sad, you know, I just think we're
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  Speaker 1: talking about people here who've paid their taxes their whole lives.
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  Speaker 1: You know, they've worked and paid their taxes their whole lives.
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  Speaker 1: Surely we can look after those territories and we can
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  Speaker 1: look after those Australians the beast that we possibly can.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, we should be able to, as you said, but
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  Speaker 2: we're way behind in public housing. You know, there's a
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  Speaker 2: seven year wait list. So in the meantime, though, what
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  Speaker 2: did is people do so and with the cost of living,
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  Speaker 2: as we know with groceries, when you're on a set
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  Speaker 2: low income, it's tragic. It's very very difficult. And we've
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: heard people they'd rather feed their pet than themselves. The
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: maloved pet comes first before them and sometimes obviously with
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  Speaker 2: a whole lot of other aspects like dental care and
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  Speaker 2: things like that that they have to wait for and
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  Speaker 2: they can't afford it. It is it's tragic that our
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  Speaker 2: older generation is suffering as much.
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  Speaker 1: Well so, I mean, I know it's so it's tough
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  Speaker 1: for a lot of people out there right now. But
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  Speaker 1: when you talk about those rises in the cost of living,
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  Speaker 1: I've no doubt that it certainly has a huge impact
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  Speaker 1: for our seniors. So I always appreciate you coming in.
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  Speaker 1: Is it Seniors Month?
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  Speaker 3: It sure is, And I've got the calendar here. You're
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: a bit younger, a youngster.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: Any party I'll enjoy.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: I know there's so much for seniors to do. I
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: guess on a brighter note, they can go and try golf,
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: they can learn about internet safety, they can do musical jam,
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: Royal life saving cool Seniors, English country dancing, ongoing digital
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: literacy as we know unfortunately you know sometimes face to
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: face like we are, it all has to be digital.
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  Speaker 3: But a lot of gain.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: A lot of seniors can't afford an iPhone, they can't
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: afford the hardware, and they can't afford the internet, as
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  Speaker 2: we're saying, with all the other costs. So we're looking
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: at ways to try and get to them, to keep
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: them informed, and obviously one of these is through your show,
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: which is terrific. Again, Walk and Wag, so bring a
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: dog along and have a little walk and you.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: Can wag your little tush as well, I guess along
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: way you don't.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: But jewelry, making, cher aerobics, singing, there's there's everything, everybody
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: for the whole month of August.
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  Speaker 3: It's just wonderful.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: That is great to hear well, Sushira. Always lovely to
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: catch up with you. Thank you so much for your.
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: Time this morning. Pleasure. Katie always looking
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Good, so thank you.