Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (25 November) . . Page.. 4608 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

I believe the community no longer sees the knowledge of our elders as being relevant. While ageing and death are essential aspects of what used to be human, the challenge for us all is to establish dignity, meaning and respect for our elders. Like Suzuki, I believe we need to cut through the artifices of technology; we need to listen to our elders, to take care of them so that they can flourish.

The challenge lies in the marginalisation of older people. We must harness and use the experience and skills of older people. As the writer and researcher Hugh McKay suggested in a report that looked at people as they aged, people approaching 60 are accepting, not striving; they are fully functioning, prime-time adults, hoping for some self-indulgent fun. He also found that people believe that they have accumulated a lot of experience and insight and they are anxious not to see this resource wasted.

The second key issue facing the community is how we plan to house our older people. Urban sprawl has certainly become a real issue across Australia. Politicians and policy makers debate the pros and cons of land-use ideas and public transportation systems. Do we build more suburbs and the highways that typically service them, or do we concentrate the population and develop public transportation systems to reduce freeway congestion and development?

On the surface, urban sprawl may not seem to have much to do with ageing-in fact it has plenty to do with it-and our ability to support the rapidly growing population of seniors. Much of Canberra's planning has been undertaken using the model of the standard family, with a primary school and local shop as the focus or the heart of our communities.

Low-density, urban design, the hallmark of Canberra suburbs, isn't necessarily particularly age friendly. It assumes that everyone can drive and do everything. Transport options are sometimes patchy, and housing patterns make in-home service delivery difficult and costly.

As I mentioned earlier, there will be a sharp decline in the number of younger people in our community by 2030. Accordingly, we need to re-examine the role and purpose of our community facilities that serve our neighbourhoods to ensure that public amenities are accessible by and comfortable for seniors.

The draft spatial plan that my colleague Simon Corbell has recently released responds to these challenges and highlights the need for us to develop communities that offer housing alternatives for different stages of life and different financial circumstances and age-friendly transport options and community facilities.

Another issue which I have spoken on as well recently, Mr Speaker, is the need for us to address issues of mature-age employment. If our seniors are to remain active and participate fully in community life, it is vital that they are able to work for as long as they choose; to retire when they want, not because the superannuation regime or workplace environment forces them to do so.

The population changes I alluded to earlier also indicate that there will be a major impact on the supply of younger workers entering the workforce. In particular, in the decade

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .