Page 3337 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 October 2006
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documents. The Review of Seniors Clubs 2005 is one example, and I take pleasure in tabling the report for the information of members. I congratulate the council on taking the initiative and undertaking this thorough and comprehensive review of seniors clubs in the ACT. Undertaking this review is a positive demonstration of the forward planning that characterises Canberra.
It is also heartening to see that consideration has been given to the involvement of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and the multicultural community. The review report puts forward 18 recommendations for consideration by the ACT government and the seniors clubs. I welcome the authors’ recognition of the need for shared responsibility in addressing these recommendations.
Seniors clubs play a vital role in encouraging older people to be active and to participate in the community. This is particularly important for older people who can become socially isolated, bored and depressed. Social inclusiveness and the valuing of older people in our community is the first key theme area from the advisory council’s new strategic plan, which I launched earlier this year.
The nine recommendations proposed for government consideration in the advisory council’s report include some which call on the ACT government to note the important role that seniors clubs play and to note that new facilities will be required for older people as the population ages and spreads into new areas. The government is pleased to acknowledge the important role that seniors clubs play in maintaining social networks and encouraging older people to continue their contribution to family and community life.
The government continues to consider proposals and explore options to assist with the development of community facilities, including seniors club, to further promote social participation and active ageing amongst older Canberrans. Since 2003, the government has provided over $250,000 to the existing seniors clubs to upgrade their facilities.
The report contains four recommendations relating to the reservation of land for new seniors clubs and to potential redevelopment of existing facilities. In planning for new areas of our city, land is reserved for different purposes, including community facilities. Decisions are made about the specific use of community facility land as the population of a particular area grows and develops over time.
The process for obtaining land for a new seniors club would be for an established community group to submit an application to the Land Development Agency for a direct grant of land. The government will be pleased to discuss any redevelopment proposals in the context of the overall provision of community facilities in the ACT. As part of these discussions, the ACT Planning and Land Authority will provide advice on the requirements associated with the use of community facility land.
The government encourages all three seniors clubs to develop strategic plans to identify factors and priorities that will guide their future development. We note the excellent work that the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing and the seniors clubs have done in developing best practice models and resources to guide clubs as they develop individual and joint strategic plans.
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