Thursday, 3 August 2023

Elder abuse

Tim READ (Brunswick) (09:45): I have recently heard from several people concerned about the end of the trial of an elder abuse prevention program known as the integrated model of care, or IMOC, at five sites across Victoria. The 2016 Royal Commission into Family Violence advocated for specialist elder abuse services, highlighting that there are factors unique to elder abuse such as older people’s accumulated assets, children often being the likely perpetrators and the widespread ageism in society. Family violence services are often not equipped to deal with elder abuse, and older people may not even think to go there.

This trial of specialist services was created to ensure that this abuse can no longer fly under the radar. But now the funding for IMOC is not being renewed, and the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers has said that the government will put elder abuse services back into the family violence system despite and contrary to the recommendations of the royal commission. People who have personal experience with IMOC have contacted my office in distress, fearing that the end of IMOC means that there will be no meaningful help for the estimated one in six older Australians who experience elder abuse. I urge the minister for ageing to reinstate these specialist IMOC elder abuse services in line with the findings of the royal commission and the wishes of the community.