Chair's Preface
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
These six lines from a poem written in 1833 continue to speak with force and vigour. Some have found in them inspiration in the face of adversity. These words have been used as calls for action in popular culture. The words convey the hope, vigour and commitment to life ascribed by a poet to an elderly hero whose hopes, vigour and commitment to life had diminished, but had not disappeared, with advancing age. In many ways the purpose of this Royal Commission is about how the hopes, vigour and commitment to life of ageing Australians can best be sustained and supported by the nation. Throughout our inquiry we frequently met with older people who every day lived their hopes and planned their future with the modest request for some support.
The aged care system in Australia today has many flaws. There are, no doubt, some instances of wrongful or inappropriate behaviour, but the system as a whole is a product of different elements frequently acting as expected and intended, but not producing the best outcomes for those in need.[1] The point was eloquently reiterated by Counsel Assisting at the final hearing by reference to a Cabinet Memorandum of 1997.[2] That paper showed the Government being advised by an independent public service about the unenviable trade-off between health for older Australians and the desire to save on public expenditure for that help. That paper, and the continued implementation of the aged care system introduced in 1997, has been part of the cause of the need for this Royal Commission.
Royal Commissions in Australia are the highest form of inquiry into matters of public importance. Commissioner Briggs has described this as a 'policy' Royal Commission and there is, no doubt, an important aspect of policy for consideration in our Terms of Reference. A fundamental aspect of all Royal Commissions, however, is that they are independent of Government to ensure that their inquiries and recommendations are not merely those that might suit Government and, if need be, for Government to be brought to account. There can be no doubt of the public importance of the Australian aged care system for every Australian of every age; nor can there be any doubt that a Royal Commission with the independence that it entails was needed to inquire into the quality and safety of the system that in the Interim Report was described generally as besieged by neglect.
