Page 3012 - Week 10 - Friday, 8 October 2021
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MADAM SPEAKER: The question is about initiatives for seniors in the ACT budget. That is what the minister is answering. Minister.
MS DAVIDSON: Thank you. That is a really good point. One of the reasons there is not a single budget line item relating to seniors is that we have many budget line items that will bring great benefits to older Canberrans—for example, some of the work that Minister Steel is doing in implementing our age-friendly suburbs. For example, there are upgrades to footpaths in suburbs like Chifley, where there is quite a lot of work can be done to make it easier for people to get around their neighbourhood. Particularly at a time when they are trying to avoid using public transport, that is really appreciated.
There is the work that Access Canberra are doing with the new Belconnen service centre, making sure that it is dementia-friendly. I know you have a really strong interest in that. We have been listening to what the community has been telling us and responding to that. (Time expired.)
MS LAWDER: Minister, when will your government finally start to prioritise Canberra’s older residents, given your own acknowledgement that seniors have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, as opposed to measures that have been in the budget for several years? Is there anything specific to the COVID-19 response for seniors?
MS DAVIDSON: There have been a number of things that we have been doing in response to the impacts of COVID on seniors—for example, providing additional funding for print materials that will help people to get access to the information that they need, and some additional funding to advocacy organisations. For example, ADACAS are receiving additional funding in this year’s budget. They provide some fantastic advocacy support to older Canberrans. As well, some additional support was provided to COTA ACT back in August related to COVID.
In addition to that, sometime in the next couple of weeks I expect to open the next round of the seniors grants, which will provide a really important opportunity for community organisations and community groups who are doing fantastic work helping to keep everyone connected—and with a real COVID-19 lens on it this year—and to get access to some funding to enable those activities to take place.
In this year’s round of the seniors grants, for example, there was a theatre performance that was created and performed by older Canberrans, particularly about what they were experiencing during COVID-19. In addition to that, I also expect that we will see some of the experiences that people have had during the last year and a half feeding into the older persons mental health and wellbeing plan, which is currently being worked on and which I look forward to talking about more in future months.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Milligan, a supplementary.
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