Church and charity peak body, Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA), has released its White Paper on the future of housing older Australians.
ACSA members have made five clear policy recommendations, including:
- Government provides zero interest loans and/or innovative funding to upgrade and expand targeted housing solutions, including as a priority upgrades to dated retirement village ILUs.
2. Introduce a government-supported home equity release schemes.
3. The Commonwealth Government introduce an age pensioners saving account scheme in which older Australians could invest the surplus from the sale of their home. The funds would be dedicated to future care and living costs and would be exempt from the asset and income test for the age pension.
ACSA points out the Productivity Commission has also raised these initiatives.
