This report presents a summary of a Queensland committee's inquiry into elder abuse. The committee’s task was to consider the nature and extent of elder abuse, the effectiveness and cohesiveness of responses to elder abuse, and opportunities to improve responses to elder abuse in Queensland within the government, broader community, non-government and private sectors. 

While there are vital and effective state and national entities working toward prevention, the report finds meaningful reform requires a coordinated, whole-of-government approach.

Key findings

• Elder abuse often occurs in private settings, frequently within families, and remains underreported due to victims’ reluctance or lack of awareness.
• Evidence indicates that elder abuse stems from a complex and evolving environment, marked by ambiguous definitions and diverse causes. Contributing factors include family stress, social isolation and financial pressures.
• The committee noted pervasive ageism, whereby older people are at once undervalued yet expected to share their assets
  with younger generations.
• Data collection by government and funded services was found to be inadequate, inconsistent and poorly integrated across agencies. 

In addition to recommending that the Legislative Assembly note the report, the committee made 15 recommendations around the following key themes, to: 

• improve data collection, management and reporting
• strengthen Queensland’s elder abuse prevention and response frameworks
• collaborate at a national level to ensure consistent reform.