National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-2034
4 April 2025
On 26 March 2025, the Law Council provided a submission to the Attorney-General’s Department’s consultation on the draft National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-2034 (the National Plan), a joint initiative developed with State and Territory Attorneys-General.
Our submission was informed by the expertise of our National Elder Law and Succession Law Committee, National Human Rights Committee and Indigenous Legal Issues Committee, in addition to several Constituent Bodies. We are grateful for the ongoing and constructive engagement of our members.
Our submission is supportive of the National Plan, including its vision statement, key underpinning principles, and its four Focus Areas. We also welcome a long-term commitment to end the abuse and mistreatment of older people in Australia, which is a pervasive issue with devastating consequences for older Australians, their families and communities.
The Law Council’s previous advocacy on the rights of older persons, which still stands and should be considered in conjunction with this submission, includes:
- calling on government to support a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons;
- seeking commitment to strengthen the rights of older people;
- seeking greater consistency in laws for financial Enduring Powers of Attorney;
- advocacy on broader issues such as superannuation death benefits and granny flat arrangements; and
- recent submissions on the Aged Care Bill 2024 and earlier Exposure Draft.
The Law Council’s submission identified some gaps in the draft National Plan and provides recommendations to strengthen some areas. This includes highlighting the absence of commitments as to timing for each of the six Priority Actions within the National Plan. The Law Council has recommended that any further details regarding each of the six Priority Actions be mapped out over the course of a specified period of time, as well as other measures to ensure accountability and transparency in the implementation of the National Plan.
Last Updated on 01/04/2025