Page 1589 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
55 Plus Club; community hub spaces used by the 5,000 ACT members of the University of the Third Age in Cook, Hughes and Flynn; the men’s sheds at Weston Creek and Hall, and the new men’s shed being built in Hughes, just to name a few.
Older people bring experience, wisdom and personal and economic resources to our city. Everyone benefits when the intrinsic worth of older people in their active involvement in the community and as decision-makers is valued and fostered. The ACT government is completely committed to ensuring the continued development of Canberra as an inclusive city that values the contributions and involvement of older Canberrans. We are indeed a strong community when everyone belongs, when everyone is valued and when everyone has the opportunity to participate. As minister for seniors I will continue to proudly work to make sure our older Canberrans enjoy just that.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (3.44): It is my pleasure to speak on this topic today, and I thank Mr Coe for bringing forward this matter of public importance. It is an issue we talk about frequently in this place, and I think we all acknowledge the importance of recognising, valuing and supporting our seniors. Some recognise that perhaps more than others. It is a pity that, according to some research late last year by the COTA federation, 46 per cent of older Australians surveyed feel less valued by society than when they were younger. I hear this from older Canberrans, especially older women, who say they feel invisible; they do not feel valued.
When you look at other evidence, that does not make sense, because grandparents provide almost a third of informal child care for children aged zero to 12 years with working parents. That is a huge contribution to our society. Of the 75 per cent of Australians who volunteer, 31 per cent of them are over the age of 65 years. We really need to unpack those reasons why older people feel less valued, because they are working so hard in our community in so many ways and have behind them a lifetime of experience and contribution to our society.
The study by the COTA federation, of which our own Council on the Ageing is a member, also found 49 per cent of older people have one or more vulnerability indicators; 29 per cent of them work and do not think they can ever retire; and 33 per cent of them have experienced age discrimination. The good news is that 80 per cent of them felt younger than their age and at least half of them felt more than 10 years younger than they are. In the ACT, according to recent data, 12.5 per cent of Canberrans are aged over 65, and they are an important and growing group in our community. Treasury projections indicate that by 2058 17.4 per cent of the ACT population will be aged 65 and older.
We have the healthiest, highest income, most educated and longest living population in Australia. Notwithstanding that, seniors in the ACT feel increasingly socially and physically isolated. One of the issues they face is loneliness. When you become isolated in your own home and do not have as much contact with other people, loneliness becomes a huge issue. There are many things we can, should and must do to help older Canberrans address that. For example, many but not all older Canberrans are IT savvy, especially amongst the very oldest cohort. We must ensure we provide
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video