An independent watchdog created to investigate claims of elder abuse and neglect in NSW does not have sufficient funds to operate beyond the next financial year, according to its commissioner.
Ageing Disability Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald on Thursday warned the agency is approaching a financial cliff, which the government has been aware of since 2019.
The commission was created three years ago by former premier Gladys Berejiklian, who allocated $4.1 million to its creation in the 2019/20 budget.
Mr Fitzgerald, in the role since 2019, said the budget had been inadequate since the ribbon was cut on the agency.
On his first day in the office, he was told the four year budget had been more than halved, from $29 million to $13.9 million.
Mr Fitzgerald said he then began to talk with ministers and the department to put in place stop gap measures.
In 2019, the former seniors minister Gareth Ward secured a $3.5 million grant over four years - with funding expiring at the end of 2022.
"I had no expectation that three years later, a new agency, fully supported by all members of parliament ... would be struggling for its effectiveness," he told a budget estimates hearing.
Mr Fitzgerald said the commission also squirrelled away carry forward funds in anticipation of its requests not being met in the last budget.
"We've been unsuccessful in every budget bid that we put up, no matter what it's been for, over the last three years," he said.
The commissioner believes the agency will reach a cliff at the end of the financial year.
Seniors Minister Mark Coure rejected Mr Fitzgerald's claims, saying the 2022-2023 budget allocated adequate funds for the commission to operate.
Discussions were ongoing over future funding arrangements.
"I will do what I can as minister for seniors to ensure that the commissioner can do his job in future years," he said.
"These discussions are active and I will not let them stop until we reach an outcome."
Mr Coure also said he was continuing to make representations to have NSW adopt mandatory minimum accessibility standards, prescribed in the National Construction Code, which was agreed upon last year.
The code includes modest changes, including accessibility to power points, windows, and security systems and has been adopted in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT.
"I've taken this issue on with both hands," Mr Coure said.
