Page 470 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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Ms Gallagher: And the commonwealth.
MR MULCAHY: The commonwealth was a keen, willing supporter of this arrangement. In fact, it made provisions for it in the last commonwealth budget, after it gave up on the bickering between the states over this issue. I do not think the commonwealth can be held to blame; it was a very keen supporter of it, and put its money where its mouth is by making other benefit allocations in the commonwealth budget.
It would be desirable if the ACT government could press ahead and enter into agreements with the other territory and the states that appear to be favourably disposed towards the concept. I do not believe that the cost of this scheme, as I have outlined it, would be that great. The potential benefits are significant not only for our own residents who like to travel, but also for those who would like to come and visit the nation’s capital in their retirement years.
Facilitating the easy use of transport, whether in Canberra or interstate, is an important issue facing the aged community. This is a service that needs to be improved considerably. My office has received many representations from elderly residents in response to the recent changes to ACTION timetables. The timetable changes have impacted heavily on the elderly people of Canberra, many of whom rely on ACTION buses to get to appointments, do their shopping and generally participate actively in community life.
Recently there has also been public comment about the driving ability of older drivers and the impact of medication, among other things, on their capacity to drive. Whilst I caution against drawing general conclusions about the driving ability of all elderly people, it is certainly true that individual cases of diminished ability need to be identified, and these people need to be encouraged to stop driving. This transition can be difficult and needs to be made easier by having an effective public transport system that allows elderly residents to retain their independence and mobility.
It is a contentious issue with many people. Many of my friends and relatives have had to deal with this issue as their parents age. One takes a measure of regard for one’s parents’ welfare when it comes to being in command of a motor vehicle. The challenge for governments—the challenge for all parties—is how we tackle this issue of older motorists faced with a potential reduction in their driving ability due to their impairment and yet at the same time ensure that we preserve their degree of independence. You cannot ask somebody to take a taxi to the corner shop to pick up a small grocery item. If the level of public transport that is not immediately available to people is considered inadequate, they are going to be extremely reluctant to give up driving, even if the feeling amongst those around them is that they should relinquish this privilege.
It is a difficult problem; it will get considerably worse in our society. I am sure that there will be a point when my kids tell me that I should not be driving. I am sure that we will all face that as time goes on. It is one of the most distressing challenges that I hear people raise—particularly people of my age—when they have parents who are in
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