Ian Yates, Chief Executive of the Council of the Ageing Australia, told the Leaders Summit in Sydney in March that the Federal Government viewed the peak bodies representing the sector as “toxic”.
Leading Age Services Australia was founded in 2012 when Aged and Community Services Australia’s Not For Profit members voted against a national amalgamation that would have blended private operators with Not For Profit members.
Let’s hope the new body that LASA and ACSA members have agreed to – which will come into force on 1 July – will take a different approach to government to ensure a prosperous future for the entire sector.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommended a unified leadership representing providers of residential care, home and community care and retirement living for seniors.
The time for butting heads needs to pass and let’s hope the new body will be better prepared when it comes to talking and meeting with the minister and his advisers.
As any village manager should know, you need to give and take to achieve something worthwhile.