Page 3336 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 October 2006
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Leave granted.
MS GALLAGHER: Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that several members of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing are present in the gallery today to listen to the government’s response to their report to me as minister for ageing.
I would like to take the opportunity today to highlight the International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2006. It reminds us to celebrate the contribution that older people make to our community: as carers and volunteers, as providers of mutual support to young people, as employees and employers and as active participants in many community activities and organisations. The International Day of Older Persons has been observed by the United Nations on 1 October since 1990. This day provides us with a unique opportunity to reflect on how we can work towards a society in which generations invest in one another and share in the fruits of that investment guided by the twin principles of reciprocity and equity.
At the same time we should stimulate debate about how we continue to work to provide a safe, healthy and supportive climate for the growing number of older people in Canberra. Over the next 30 years, the age structure in the ACT will change considerably. There will be population decline for almost every age group up to the age of 32, with this group in total declining by 19,000, including a decline of 10,000 for the 0 to 14 age group. In contrast, the population over 32 is projected to grow by 86,000, with 68,000—equivalent to the entire growth in the total population—being people aged 60 years and over.
This is a huge resource for our society, not just in caring, volunteering and mentoring roles, but also through late career opportunities that can take the load off a declining younger work force. In other words, there needs to be a balance of older and younger citizens that creates the right social mix to maintain a dynamic community. Older Canberrans have the skills, knowledge and experience to help us capitalise on our competitive advantages in a global economy. It would be remiss of us not to recognise the many opportunities that the ageing of our population will bring to Canberra. Theodore Roszak, the American social commentator, observed:
A new world is opening before us—not across the seas, not in outer space, not in cyberspace, but in time. Living time. Longevity is our voyage of discovery—a voyage that is so easily affordable that money is the least interesting issue to address. Far more fascinating are the powers of the mind, the resources of the spirit, which wait to be explored.
This structural change to Canberra’s population places demands on services provided by government, community groups and other organisations providing services to seniors, and it is something that the ACT government is planning for with important advice from my Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing to ensure that the government is on the right track when making decisions and prioritising the needs of our older residents.
The government established the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing in 2002 as a way of utilising the wealth of skills and experience in our community to provide guidance and advice on how to respond best to the needs and aspirations of our ageing community. Since then the advisory council has produced a number of high quality
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