Page 5604 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 17 November 2010
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community service. When I was asked by the interviewer to describe a day in the life of an older person, I said, “Well, I think the day in the life of an older person is probably as various as a day in the life of any Canberran or anyone that lives in Australia.” Maybe there are some needs that older persons have that might be different from those of a young person, but basically they all do various things on various days and I do not think you can group all older people together in one homogonous group and say we all have the same kind of lifestyle.
This older persons Assembly being discussed today is one that Canberrans may choose to engage with. However, it is certainly not the only way they will choose to engage. Let us never imagine that older people are a distinct group and that their opinions and aspirations are any different to any other cross-section of Canberra—Canberrans and the people we serve in this Assembly.
I thank Ms Bresnan for bringing this motion forward. I think it is important that we engage with older people in this way, but I would encourage older people in Canberra to become as engaged as they can with all aspects of our life here in Canberra.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (7.39): I will speak briefly to Ms Burch’s amendments. I thank all members for their contributions tonight. It is good that we have got all parties supporting this motion because I think it is an important way in which we can engage with older people and have a debate about the issues that impact on their lives. We will be supporting Ms Burch’s amendments. I think the first point, point (a), actually improves on the motion because it provides the detail. This was actually a factor referred to in my speech, so I think it is useful to have that there.
In terms of the other points, we originally had “annually”, but I take Ms Burch’s point that it is important to look at how it works. I also think it is important for the older persons assembly itself to decide whether or not it wants to have this as an annual event or if it is something it wants to have every two years.
I make the point around point (c) that we would probably prefer it that ministers and members would attend rather than be encouraged to attend. But, as both Ms Burch and I have said, I would strongly encourage all members and ministers to attend, because this is an opportunity to hear people debate important issues that are going, at some point in their life, to impact on them as well because, as I said, we are all ageing. I thank members again for their contributions and I look forward to being at the first older persons Assembly.
Amendments agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Planning—Weston Group Centre
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (7:41): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
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