Page 3059 - Week 08 - Thursday, 15 August 2019
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been a new indicator introduced, “community engagement opportunities for seniors”, with a target of seven events per year; I will look forward to hearing more about what constitutes community engagement opportunities and how the government decides and defines what they are.
The government have invested $162,000 over the next two years for growing the inclusion of Canberra seniors. In estimates it was indicated that this funding would be going to COTA to help support seniors card administration and the Seniors Week Expo. I would like to echo the minister’s earlier comments and place on the record my appreciation for the work of COTA ACT.
This funding only goes for two more financial years. The government have said that they will be entering into discussions with COTA about how to support them, moving forward. I hope they will give them greater certainty in the future. It is something that community groups across the board, not just in the seniors area, say is important for them, to enable them to keep up with their strategic plans and retain key staff.
On elder abuse, the government has funded OPALS. There is tripartisan support for combating elder abuse, but with the ageing population and more people potentially at risk of elder abuse, there is always more that can be done. There was a committee recommendation that the resourcing of OPALS be reviewed, but this was only noted in the government response.
It is estimated that anywhere between five and 20 per cent of older people may be currently experiencing elder abuse. The World Health Organisation reports that one in six people will experience elder abuse in their lifetime. Sadly, elder abuse is often perpetuated by someone close to the victim. It can be hard to recognise for what it is, but we need more than OPALS. OPALS is a great start, but we need a specific ACT implementation plan against elder abuse. We need to carefully consider the specifics and nuances of the ACT and deliver a tailored, committed and detailed response.
Earlier the minister touched on health services. He said that the government was funding better health care. But already this week, and previously in the Assembly, we have spoken about hydrotherapy services and the fact that under this government many seniors will be disadvantaged with respect to hydrotherapy. It is important for older people to be able to socialise and mobilise to live healthy, happy lives. We know there are many physical, social and emotional benefits of hydrotherapy, but this does not appear to be a priority for this government.
We have spoken this week, and in previous weeks, about the importance of transport options for seniors. Again, this does not seem to be a priority for the government, with many bus services cut. That is severely impacting many residents. In my electorate at least, apart from school children, it is impacting seniors more and more. Just yesterday I read out a letter from a Wanniassa resident in her eighties who spoke about how the cut of her local bus stop and bus service is leaving her isolated.
It seems that in some ways, despite some positives, seniors continue to be seen as second-class citizens here in Canberra. There is some movement and some progress, but it is clearly not a big priority for this government. I do not want Canberra to be a
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