Page 1097 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
transferring to the newly constructed dwellings who had been residing in a three-bedroom home for over 60 years, a win-win for all concerned.
In support of ACT seniors clubs, a new Tuggeranong seniors club will be built this year at a cost of $1.5 million. This will be an excellent asset for the Tuggeranong community.
Further, ACT Health has been active in promoting the get healthy information and coaching service to encourage people to stay physically active as they age.
The Department of Land and Property Services has been working with Communities@Work on the 50s-plus network, a project in Weston Creek, to determine what services people aged 50 and over need to live comfortably in their own homes and what activities they would like to enhance their quality of life. Land and Property Services is finalising universal design guidelines to facilitate the better design of housing to meet people’s changing needs as they age, so that they can more easily age in place.
We need to treat our senior citizens with more dignity and respect and, as a government and as a community, continue to work in an effective and productive partnership for seniors to improve their quality of life and to make Canberra a leading age-friendly city.
I also recognise the ongoing role of the commissioner for health services who has responsibility for services for older people under the Human Rights Commission Act 2005. Under the act, the commissioner for health services can investigate complaints regarding all services provided in the ACT specifically for older people or their carers—for example, a service that provides home help, personal care, home maintenance or modification, food services, respite care, transport, assessment or referral to support needs, education, information services, case management, recreation, advocacy, community access, accommodation support, rehabilitation or indeed employment services.
On 17 November 2010, to encourage public discussion on seniors issues, this Assembly passed a resolution to support the establishment of an older persons assembly to be convened for one day at the ACT Legislative Assembly, with all motions and recommendations responded to by the ACT government within three months. This older persons assembly is being planned for September 2011. This assembly will be informed by an age-friendly survey and the assembly will in turn inform the ACT government’s next positive ageing action plan in which we will seek to develop initiatives across government and the community.
As stated in the Canberra plan: towards our second century, this government’s vision for Canberra is a city recognised throughout the world as a truly sustainable and creative city, as a community that is socially inclusive. And today I call on the support of this Assembly to create a city that is also recognised as an age-friendly city.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (4.16): I would like to thank Mr Hargreaves for raising this subject in the Assembly today. The contribution of seniors to our community is
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video