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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 08 Hansard (Tuesday, 3 August 2004) . . Page.. 3350 ..

The plan establishes long-term priorities over the next 10 to 15 years, medium-term goals, and immediate term actions. All of its seven priorities go directly to address the concerns of ageing Canberrans, for example, providing a safe, strong and cohesive community, improved health and wellbeing, and housing for a future Canberra. The goals, which are real, commit the government to: recognising the valuable contribution made by older people in the community; meeting the diverse needs of our ageing community, including their health needs; promoting and supporting the role of carers, many of whom are older Canberrans; preventing and reducing crime; and creating a safer environment for every member of the community, in particular our seniors.

I remind members that key seniors stakeholders across the ACT have welcomed those goals, which were unanimously endorsed by the Assembly. We have put our money where our mouths are by supporting positive ageing initiatives and aged care services. In the 2004-05 budget we fundamentally recognise and provide funding for many of the commitments that we have made in the plan. We have provided additional new funding of more than $16 million over the next four years to specific programs aimed at increasing the quality of life for seniors in the ACT.

Some $31 million was allocated to health initiatives that predominantly assist older Canberrans. One of the particularly exciting initiatives contained in the budget is the provision of new funding of $1.4 million for a range of positive ageing initiatives to enhance the quality of life of older Canberrans. This is the first time that there has been any funding of that order by an ACT government. That program and that funding were directly informed by the strategic plan of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing and after extensive consultations with Canberra’s peak seniors organisations.

The new ageing program that the government has established, which is multifaceted and comprehensive, seeks to promote positive ageing in the community through a whole-of-government approach. The program includes: strategic analysis of Canberra’s ageing population to better inform service planning; the establishment of a seniors information service which will provide a one-stop information shop for seniors and their families about government and community services; and the establishment of a new seniors grants program to assist community organisations to develop and implement healthy ageing initiatives.

The program also includes seed funding to assist the establishment of an annual seniors expo that will enable government, business and community organisations to promote their goods and services to seniors in the broader community; new funding to implement the recommendations of the review of the ACT seniors card program that seek to provide improved benefits to existing and new members; and additional funding to assist the ACT Council on the Ageing and other seniors organisations to promote and increase the level of activity of the annual ACT Seniors Week program.

Finally, the program includes additional new funding to grow and enhance the ACT seniors awards program and the rollout of the actively ageing framework. Since self-government this government is the first government to take a whole-of-government approach to ageing issues in the ACT. On coming to office this government was quick to establish, within my department, the ACT Office for Ageing to provide strategic advice

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