Submissions

COTA Victoria strongly supports the State Disability Plan and the Victorian Autism Plan as important drivers of practical action to improve inclusion, accessibility and equity for Victorians with disability.

COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria welcome the opportunity to contribute to DEECA’s consultation on reforming prices and consumer protections for customers in embedded electricity and gas networks. We support the proposed direction of reform and, rather than commenting on the broader embedded network framework, this submission focuses on one cohort that requires particular attention: older Victorians living in retirement villages.

This submission reflects on the proposals through the lens of older Victorians at a heightened level of risk, with particular attention to those experiencing intersectional disadvantage and/or digital exclusion.

COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria welcome the latest set of Essential Services Commission proposals to strengthen protections for Victorian energy consumers through the Energy Retail Code of Practice.

Elder abuse is both prevalent and under-recognised within Australia. Annually, approximately one in six (14.8%) older Australians experience some form of elder abuse. Research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) in 2021i found that psychological abuse is the most common form, followed by financial abuse – a trend that mirrors the case data of Seniors Rights Victoria.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety has proposed three options for remaking the VCAT fee Regulations. COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria support Option 3.

In making this submission, we highlight the importance of specifically addressing the needs of older people, both as a large proportion of those living with a disability and in relation to other aspects of ageing that also impact on accessibility and support needs

COTA Victoria commends the current draft Community Infrastructure Plan; the feedback provided through this submission is intended to strengthen the Plan rather than reframe it.

Evidence suggests that elder abuse is a significant, growing, and distinct form of family violence that intersects with suicide risk in later life yet remains inadequately captured within current systems. Improving the visibility of elder abuse across prevention, service delivery, data collection, and coronial investigation is critical to strengthening DFSV-related suicide prevention and ensuring that older people are not overlooked in policy, practice, and reform efforts.

We are pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the finalisation of new guidelines on payment of rates and charges to local councils across Victoria.

This submission reflects emerging pressures across Victoria’s elder abuse and family violence systems. It calls for strategic investment through the 2026–27 Victorian State Budget to strengthen prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery.

We set out a select collection of funding initiatives under the umbrella of five priority areas that we believe warrant serious consideration across Victorian Government portfolios for support in the 2026-27 Victorian State Budget.