Page 1588 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 14 May 2019
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people’s contributions to society and the economy as they enter later life, as well as being a form of support for people on fixed incomes.
COTA is also funded by the ACT government to run Seniors Week, including the seniors expo. They foster active, connected ageing and celebrate the positive contributions older people can continue to make to our community as workers, volunteers, neighbours, friends, parents and grandparents, many of whom also impart their wisdom on boards and committees for the ongoing governance of our community.
Along with the expo, Seniors Week encompasses a wildly popular concert series and the positive ageing awards. In the lead-up to Seniors Week we have the Chief Minister’s gold awards, which acknowledge the people and the organisations that have served the ACT for 50 years or more. I place on record my thanks and deep appreciation to COTA for their work their leadership under Jenny Mobbs.
The ACT government also has a suite of measures to ensure we are looking after the most vulnerable in our community, including seniors on fixed incomes. Our concessions program targets support to those Canberrans who are most at need. Since July 2017 we have combined the energy and the utility concession and the water and sewerage rebate into a single utilities concession. This gives extra relief to eligible renters who previously were not able to access the water and sewerage rebate.
In July 2018 we increased the utilities concession by $50 to assist with cost of living pressures, including for eligible long-term residents of caravan parks and retirement villages. From 1 July this year we will again increase the utilities concession to a maximum of $700 per year.
The ACT government has expanded the general rates age deferral scheme by removing the income and unimproved land value thresholds. All property owners aged 65 and older with at least 75 per cent equity in their home can now access the deferral scheme. The scheme allows eligible property owners to defer their annual general rates payments until such time as their property is sold.
The ACT government has a number of grants programs that provide funding for projects that support Canberra seniors. The seniors participation grants in the past 12 months have gone to organisations including Woden Seniors, COTA, Seniors Centre, Bangladeshi Seniors Club, the Chinese Women’s Cultural Association, ADACAS, Legal Aid, the Woodcraft Guild, Tuggeranong Arts Centre, the sanctuary Pacific Islands heritage group and the Tjillari Justice Aboriginal Corporation for activities including community gardens, multicultural social groups, intergenerational relationship building, social singing and dancing, creative arts and preventing elder abuse and dementia.
In addition to the seniors grants, a large number of other grant programs benefit Canberra seniors. These include, for example, veterans participation grants, health promotion grants, TCCS grants and the mature workers grants program. The ACT government also supports a wide range of seniors groups through the provision of access to government-owned community buildings. These include Tuggeranong
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