Page 3614 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 September 2019
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elder abuse prevention, including $6,000 for Legal Aid ACT to consult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members about elder abuse and to develop resources and proposals for dealing with the issue, and $10,000 for ADACAS to counter elder abuse through individual advocacy and community education at aged-care facilities and organisations that provide services to seniors.
The 2017-18 grant round provided $13,000 for Legal Aid ACT and Care Inc to work in partnership to produce a guide and deliver community and professional education for older people who are thinking about decisions such as selling their home and giving the money to someone who has agreed to care for them, having a relative move in with them, and/or giving or lending money to someone, and $10,000 for the Conflict Resolution Service to develop resources that will empower individuals and families to resolve disputes themselves and to understand when and how to access specialised conflict resolution support services for seniors.
Madam Speaker, we have many initiatives in place and many more planned to address elder abuse within our community. I can assure you that the government will continue to take every opportunity to improve protections for older Canberrans, and we remain committed to ensuring that no-one in Canberra is left behind or overlooked. We are honoured to have older Canberrans who are here to share with us their invaluable experience and wisdom, and they certainly deserve all protections that we can provide.
I present a copy of the statement:
Protecting older Canberrans from abuse—Ministerial statement, 19 September 2019.
I move:
That the Assembly take note of the paper.
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (10.37): I thank the Minister for Seniors and Veterans for his work in this area. It is obviously an area I am very concerned with, particularly given my status as the oldest member of the Assembly. I am encouraged to hear that the ACT is participating in the progression and implementation of the national plan, although I am concerned that the development of the national register for enduring powers of attorney is likely to be some considerable time away. I understand only feasibility is being explored at present, and I urge the minster to do whatever he can to encourage this to happen more quickly.
This has been touched upon in many forums, and many people I have spoken to feel that this is a substantial issue. Possibly it could be approached from a banking point of view. We have had some discussions with people who have had issues with powers of attorney and how they are used by banks.
Apart from the need for a national register of enduring powers of attorney, there is a need for education, and I am pleased that the minister referred to that. We have specific need for the education of potential attorneys and of the legal profession who are often called upon to write enduring powers of attorney. Based on personal
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