‘Ageism impacts everyone’: Australians demand action

There’s a push for a national plan to tackle ageism, with the majority of people over 50 demanding better support ahead of the federal election.

Six in ten people surveyed by advocacy group COTA Australia want action immediately, nominating the rising cost of groceries, bills and medical appointments as issues that would sway their vote.

The effects of Australia’s ageism problem are colliding with the increasingly ageing population, according to COTA chief executive Patricia Sparrow.

“It’s a dangerous combination that our politicians need to start addressing quickly,” she said.

“Ageism impacts everyone. It locks people out of work, it impacts our healthcare – it can impact people in every area of their lives.”

Three quarters of people over 50 believe ageism locks older people out of employment, the survey of 1009 participants showed.

Almost one in three experienced ageism in the past five years and that rose to 40 per cent of people in financial strife.

“This is a very worrying statistic that our politicians can’t afford to ignore,” Sparrow said.

“We need a national plan to tackle ageism put in place so we can start seriously investigating and addressing these issues.”

COTA is pushing for a Seniors Dental Benefit Scheme and targeted housing support.

Some 4.2 million Australians were aged 65 or older as of June 2024 according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which is about one in six people.

Advocates are also pushing for an Ageism Awareness Day as a way to highlight and stop discrimination against older Australians.

World Health Organisation campaign consultant Marlene Krasovitsky and Age discrimination commissioner Robert Fitzgerald used a joint National Press Club address in September 2024 to push for Australia to officially recognise ageism.

They said the issue is often overlooked by people who don’t think it applies to them but has been shown to shorten life spans by almost eight years, contribute to elder abuse and push people out of work.