Page 928 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 April 1994
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These are not words I am making up. I am reading them from the Chief Minister's response last Thursday to the report of the Standing Committee on Social Policy on aged accommodation and support services. Nothing that we have seen in the ministerial statement on ageing today changes my view that last week's response was simply a string of platitudes to the same extent as today's ministerial statement is. Mr Kaine has quite rightly identified that nothing is being done. The Chief Minister, in her statement today, says at page 5:
... the Government is establishing a Senior Volunteers Recognition Day ... Each year five or more senior volunteers will be selected from those nominated by community organisations. The selected senior volunteers will be guests of honour throughout the day and, at a special function, will receive an award as a token of the Government's appreciation ...
How true - as a token.
Mr De Domenico: Another photo opportunity for the Chief Minister.
MR CORNWELL: Correct; another photo opportunity for the Chief Minister, Mr De Domenico. It is certainly a token of the Government's appreciation. She goes on to state, as Mr Kaine properly identified:
... I have established an Interdepartmental Committee on Services for Older Citizens ...
As Mr Kaine quite rightly said, the committee is charged with the task of developing options to address existing gaps and deficiencies in the services for older people. What on earth has the Social Policy Committee been doing? What on earth have innumerable committees, not only in this Assembly but outside in the community, been doing if they have not - - -
Mr Kaine: What on earth has the Council on the Ageing been doing?
MR CORNWELL: Indeed. What have they been doing if they have not been identifying these things? Does your political correctness stretch so far that you do not trust anybody unless you can hand-pick a committee to investigate these matters? You go on to talk about the various issues that the committee is going to look at - access to convenient transport; a safe, attractive and well-designed environment; positive community attitudes to ageing - I do not quite know what that means; healthy lifestyles; education and employment opportunities; appropriate accommodation options.
The one thing they will not address is how these people are going to live. That surely is the fundamental point and is a matter of considerable concern to ageing people. It is all very well to talk about what you are doing for the ageing citizens of this city, but I would suggest to you that far too much of it is selective assistance - and, of course, no more so than in the treatment of superannuants in this city, a very neglected group. If people
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