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Face the facts: OLDER AUSTRALIANS • 2014
Face the facts:OLDER AUSTRALIANS • 2014
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© Australian Human Rights Commission 2014.
Face the Facts: Older Australians • 2014
ISBN 978-1-921449-67-3
Design and layout Dancingirl DesignsInfographic Design Firefly InteractiveContent James Iliffe, Black and White Media Australia
Electronic format
This publication can be found in electronic format on the website of the Australian Human Rights Commission: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications
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For further information about the Australian Human Rights Commission, please visit www.humanrights.gov.au or email [email protected].
You can also write to:
Communications Team Australian Human Rights Commission GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
Face the Facts: Older Australians • 2014 • 1
www.humanrights.gov.au/face-facts
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Older AustraliansKey issues for older Australians
• AroundoneinthreeAustralians(35percent)agedbetween55and64yearssaytheyhaveexperienceddiscriminationbecauseoftheirage.7Themostcommontypesofdiscriminationincludebeingturneddownforajob,beingignoredortreatedrudelyandhavingdisparagingjokesmadeabouttheirage.8
• OneinfiveAustraliansaged55yearsoroverclaimthatageisamajorbarriertofindingajoborgettingmorehoursofpaidwork.Theysaythatemployersconsiderthem“tooold”.9
• Approximately80percentofallAustraliansaged65yearsandoverrelyontheAgePension.10Therearecurrentlyfivepeopleofworkingagetosupporteachpersonaged65yearsandover.However,by2041therewillonlybejusthalfthenumber(2.5people)ofworkingagetosupporteachretiree.11
• MorethanoneinfourolderAustraliansliveinpoverty.12Peopleaged65yearsandovermakeupsevenpercentofthehomelesspopulation.13
• OlderAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderpeoplearealmostthreetimesmorelikelythannon-Indigenousolderpeopletoneedhelpwithself-care,mobilityorcommunication.14
• In2009-2010womenreachedretirementagewithanaverageof36percent–or$87,532–lesssuperannuationthanmen.15
Everyday,acrossthecountry,olderAustraliansmakeanenormouscontributiontooursociety.
Forexample,Australiansaged65yearsandovercontributealmost$39billioneachyearinunpaidcaringandvoluntarywork.Iftheunpaidcontributionofthoseaged55to64yearsisincluded,thatfigurerisesto$74.5billionperyear.1
OlderAustraliansshouldberecognisedfortheirroleinbuildingstrongandhealthycommunities.
However,manysaythatnegativeattitudesaboutolderpeoplecantranslateintounfairtreatmentandsocialexclusion.Beinglabelledas“tooold”or“pasttheiruse-bydate”meansthatsomemissoutonwork,training,studyandotheropportunities.
In2004,theAgeDiscriminationActcameintoforce.TheActmakesitunlawfultotreatpeopleunfairlyonthebasisoftheirageindifferentareasofpubliclife.Italsohighlightstheneedtotacklethenegativestereotypesthatcanleadtoagediscrimination.
About• By2050,aroundonequarterofallAustralianswillbeaged65yearsandover,withtheproportionofyoungerAustraliansdeclining.2Infact,thenumberofpeopleaged65yearsandoverwillovertakethenumberofchildrenaged0to14yearsbyaround2025.3
• Therearetwiceasmanywomenasmenaged85yearsandover,reflectingtheirlongerlifeexpectancy.4ItisestimatedthatthenumberofAustraliansaged85andoverwillincreasefrom400,000in2010to1.8 millionby2050.5
• OneinthreeAustraliansaged65yearsandovercomefromdiverseculturalandlinguisticbackgrounds.Around840,000Australiansaged65yearsandoverwerebornoverseas.6
Face the Facts: Older Australians • 2014 • 3
Positive developments• Australiansenjoyoneofthehighestlifeexpectanciesintheworld.Mentodaylivenearly80yearsandwomenlive84years,bothup25yearsfromacenturyago.16ThephysicalhealthofolderAustraliansisalsoimprovingandmostpeople(82percent)arepositiveabouttheirqualityoflife.17
• ThemajorityofolderAustraliansliveindependentlyathome.Onlyoneinfourpeopleaged85yearsoroverliveincareaccommodation.18
• Ratesofvolunteeringamongthe“babyboomer”generation–recentlyretired,healthyandwantingtocontributetotheircommunities–arecontinuingtorisecomparedtopreviousgenerations.19
• IncreasingpaidemploymentofAustraliansover55 yearsbyfivepercentwouldadd$48billiontothebottomlineofournationaleconomy,everyyear.20
Did you know?Overthepasttwodecades,thenumberofcentenarians(peopleaged100yearsandover)increasedby271%,comparedwitha31percentinthegeneralpopulationoverthesameperiod.21
Australiahasproduced23verifiedsupercentenarians(aged110yearsorolder).TheoldestAustralianwasChristinaCock,whodiedin2002aged114years.
Find out more• AustralianGovernment,Australia to 2050: Future
challenges(2010)• AustralianHumanRightsCommission,Fact or fiction?
Stereotypes of older Australians(2013)• AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Australia’s
heath 2012(2012)• DeloitteAccessEconomics, Increasing participation
among older workers: The grey army advances(2012)
Our roleTheCommissionhelpspeopleresolvecomplaintsofunfairtreatmentundertheAgeDiscriminationAct.
Ourwork,ledbytheAgeDiscriminationCommissioner,alsoincludesresearch,policyadviceandeducationinitiativesthattacklethecommunityattitudesthatcanleadtoagediscrimination.
Forexample,theAustralianGovernmentfundedamajorresearchprojectin2013topromotegreaterawarenessofthedamagingeffectsofnegativestereotypesaroundageing.
Findoutmoreaboutourworkinthisarea.
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1 AustralianInstituteofFamilyStudies,Measuring the value of unpaid household, caring and voluntary work of older Australians(2003).
2 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,Age Positive: Promoting Positive and Diverse Portrayals of Older Australians: Research Project Fact Sheet(2012).
3 AustralianBureauofStatistics,3101.0-Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2011(December2011).
4 AustralianBureauofStatistics,3201.0-Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, June 2010(December2010).
5 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,A human rights approach for ageing and health – Respect and choice: home-based and residential care for older people(2012),footnote3;TheTreasury,AustralianGovernment,Australia to 2050: Future Challenges(2010),p56.
6 AustralianBureauofStatistics,2006 Census Tables: Country of birth by age and sex, by usual residence(Cat.No.2068.0).
7 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,note2,footnote2;AustralianBureauofStatistics,3222.0-Population Projections, Australia, 2006 to 2101(September2008).
8 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,above.9 AustralianBureauofStatistics,4102.0-Australian Social Trends, Sep
2010: Older People and the Labour Market(September2010).10 AgedandCommunityServicesAustralia,An Ageing Australia: Fact
Sheet 1(July2011),p2.
11 TheTreasury,AustralianGovernment,note5.12 AustralianHumanRightsCommission,Age discrimination: Exposing the
hidden barrier for mature age workers(2010).13 DepartmentofSocialServices,AustralianGovernment,The Road Home:
The Australian Government White Paper on Homelessness(2008).14 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Older Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people(May2011).15 CouncilofAustraliaGovernments(COAG)ReformCouncil,Tracking
equity: Comparing outcomes from women and girls across Australia(2012).
16 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Aged care packages in the community 2010-11: a statistical overview(2012),p122.
17 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Australia’s health 2012(2012).18 AustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,Australia’s welfare 2011(2011)
p168.19 TheAustraliaInstitute,The benefits of an ageing population(2002).20 DeloitteAccessEconomicsfortheAustralianHumanRights
Commission,Increasing participation among older workers: The grey army advances(2012),pi.
21 AustralianBureauofStatistics,3101.0-Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2013(December2013).
Endnotes
Face the Facts: Older Australians • 2014 • 5
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