Page 2968 - Week 10 - Friday, 8 October 2021
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
I would like to take this opportunity to thank community organisations and service organisations who support older people and veterans for their work informing their members and communities about the COVID-19 vaccination program. I was pleased to host the seniors COVID-19 vaccination forum in June, and I acknowledge the attendance of many of these organisations so critical to the wellbeing of older Canberrans in our community. The ACT has experienced an extremely high uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among persons 60 years and older. As at 29 September, more than 99 per cent of Canberrans aged 60 years and older had received their first dose, and 88.1 per cent were fully vaccinated.
I want to pay tribute to Canberra’s rich and diverse landscape of community organisations that support older people. These organisations, seniors centres, ADACAS, and of course, COTA ACT—to name just a few—have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 response, providing clear and direct information for older people, amidst the sea of different messages. They have rapidly adapted their supports and services and have provided connections when physical distancing was necessary. For example, over the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 COTA ACT has worked with major supermarkets to ensure that seniors cardholders can access priority home delivery services. This quick thinking and action will no doubt have made access to shopping for food and essential items much easier for many older Canberrans.
The ACT government’s support of older Canberrans, and efforts to build a truly age-friendly city, are due in large part to our partnerships and collaboration with the community sector. It is this spirit of partnership which powers the elder abuse network—a broad and diverse network of over 40 community organisations and government agencies, collectively problem-solving issues around the abuse of older people in Canberra. It is this spirit of partnership which pushes awareness of the annual seniors grants into the furthest reaches of the community. And it is this spirit of partnership which made the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event in June possible, bringing together key players from government and the community to raise awareness and provide support.
The ACT government has long been proud to support COTA ACT’s organisation of Seniors Week. Following the uncertainty of 2020, COTA ACT made a very sound decision to expand Seniors Week 2021 to the Silver is Gold Festival, running over a six-month period. As we find ourselves in the thick of this current COVID-19 response, I applaud COTA ACT for this foresight. The Silver is Gold community art and photographic competition exhibition and the Chief Minister’s concert at the Canberra Theatre Centre have been memorable and enjoyable highlights in a year of ups and downs. I would also like to remark on the name and spirit of the festival—Silver is Gold. There is no better way to capture the importance of positive ageing and the adventure of getting older.
The ACT government is setting the course on whole-of-government policy design and implementation which is responsive to the needs and experiences of older people though the Age-Friendly City Plan. I refer to my ministerial statement in May, where I provided an update on the first report on this four-year strategy. In the seven months of the plan, three of the 33 actions across six ACT government directorates are
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video