Older Australians
For over a decade, accessibility standards have been regulated by a voluntary set of Livable Housing Design Guidelines. Over that time, only 5% of new home builds have complied with these guidelines.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of Older Australians are currently unable to access housing that meets their needs.
Older Australians should be able to choose whether to stay at home
As our population ages, more and more Australians are choosing to remain living in their home, rather than go into residential care. This means we need more accessible housing to support older Australians to age at home.
Mandatory accessibility standards will ensure greater access to appropriate housing support choices for older Australians. It will also result in substantial savings to the health and welfare sector from reduced injuries and home-care, as well as reducing the cost of aged-care.