Elder abuse
Elder abuse can take various forms, including: financial, physical, psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, or neglect. No older person should be subjected to any form of abuse.
Age Discrimination
New report recommends Australia urgently creates nationally consistent enduring powers of attorney laws
Content type: Media Release
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Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM has said Commonwealth and State and Territory governments must act now to achieve national consistency in laws governing enduring power of attorney, following the release of a new report.
Empowering futures: a report on enduring powers of attorney (2024)
A national survey on the understanding and use of financial enduring powers of attorney (2024).
Ending gender-based violence: do not overlook older women and women with disability
Content type: Media Release
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Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin states that Australia needs to take threats of gendered violence as seriously as it takes terrorist threats.
Inquiry into the Financial Services Regulatory Framework in Relation to Financial Abuse (2024)
Summary
Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services
Submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services
Commissioner urges stronger government commitment to Disability Royal Commission findings
Content type: Media Release
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Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess has urged the Federal Government to make a stronger commitment to the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations, if the vision for a more inclusive Australia is to ever be achieved.
Keynote Address to the Law Council of Australia
Mr Robert Fitzgerald AM,
Age Discrimination Commissioner
Retirement village operators urged to improve elder abuse protections
The Age Discrimination Commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald AM, has called on Australia’s retirement living sector to introduce new nationwide strategies to better identify and respond to the abuse of residents.
Elder abuse affects one in six older Australians, including those living in retirement villages. The abuse can take many forms, including neglect, financial exploitation, physical violence, and psychological abuse. According to a 2023 study by the NSW Retirement Villages Residents Association, the most common form of abuse in villages is resident-on-resident.
Age Discrimination Commissioner: Australia has a long way to go to end elder abuse
Content type: Media Release
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Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM has warned the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is likely to lead to an increased risk of elder abuse with Australia needing to further bolster its efforts to address the nationwide problem.
Elder abuse is when harm is done to an older person by someone they know and trust, often a family member. It can take many forms, including neglect, financial exploitation, physical violence, coercive control, and sexual and psychological abuse.
Participation in Public Life and Decision-Making Processes
Address by Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald: Intervention of the Australian Human Rights Commission to 14th session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing. Delivered on 23 May 2024.