Lack of respect for industry voices shameful – on both sides

Over the past week two leading thinkers across the retirement living and aged care sectors have gone to print to express extreme frustration with the lack of respect for retirement living and aged care operators shown by governments, and by extension, bureaucrats. Ben Myers, the outgoing Executive Director of the Retirement Living Council, in his newsletter stated:

“The need for government to listen to industry, and support Australians to find affordable and accessible age-friendly communities, could never be greater. “On one hand, governments know they have to do something about ageing, but on the other they continue to fiddle with legislation, ignoring industry advice and facts, to make age-friendly communities less affordable and less accessible.”

Nick Loudon, the influential Founder of Envigor Home Care and ex Managing Director of Seasons Private Aged Care, wrote in an Op-Ed piece in last week’s SATURDAY Magazine:

“From my personal interactions with providers (ACCPA members), just 100 days into the new regime there is already a sense of disappointment. Providers feel we've been battered around enough. As an act of good faith, the industry association took a decision to seek to work more collaboratively with the new Minister, to tone down media activity. The sentiment is yet to be reciprocated in the eyes of providers.”

Why is there this apparent lack of respect in business operators by government? There are two answers. The first is broken trust. Sector representatives repeatedly talk up what work they are doing but then (isolated) bad things keep appearing in the media, with constituents going to their local member with complaints. This is across retirement living and aged care (with bad aged care news even incorrectly tarnishing retirement living). The second answer is neither sector is proactive in delivering real, balanced opportunities and solutions. Most initiatives presented to governments are piecemeal and self-serving. They are rarely big picture, medium-term solutions that are implementable and win-win for all. They rarely have an understanding and empathy for what government, politicians, and bureaucrats control, and their objectives. We regularly point to New Zealand where the retirement village sector is united, forward thinking and proactive. We desperately need the same in Australia. It is possible. New Zealand import Ryman Healthcare is releasing a discussion White Paper on Thursday detailing an optimistic vision for retirement living and aged care. Cam Holland, Ryman Australia CEO, talks about it in detail in this week’s SATURDAY. We at DCM are also commencing our Plan B community conversation on ageing – explaining the facts about our sectors’ services. In summary, both the retirement living and aged care sectors have to build respect and trust with governments if we expect to be invited to the table and listened to.