Consultation Draft on the National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-2034 - Department of the Attorney-General
In February 2025, The Salvation Army provided a submission to the Attorney General’s Department (The Department) responding to the consultation draft National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2024-2034 (National Plan).
The Salvation Army provides a broad range of services to older people, and many of our services provide support to older people experiencing abuse or mistreatment. The Salvation Army supports the comprehensive and compassionate work already done by The Department in developing the draft National Plan and provided 14 recommendations to enhance the National Plan. Our recommendations included:
- Expanding definitions and descriptions of specific types of abuse and mistreatment affecting older people;
- Strengthening institutional responses to scams and fraud;
- Addressing the private sector’s responsibility to prevent the mistreatment of older people through unfair business practices;
- Including recent widows and widowers as a priority cohort;
- Specific considerations for expanding the accessibility and availability of key services for older people; and,
- Expanding the requirements of key service providers, including government, financial and utilities, to ensure their communications are accessible for older customers.
The Salvation Army thanks the Attorney General’s Department for the opportunity to provide a submission to this important national plan and will continue to advocate for the safeguarding of older people nationally.