Page 3983 - Week 11 - Thursday, 26 September 2019
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shows that people feel less safe in places where there is vandalism, littering and graffiti. These are the things that will help people to get out of their homes more and hopefully reduce isolation and loneliness.
There is also a role for neighbourhood events with people supporting each other in their own community, looking at ways to bring people together and creating a culture in local communities that encourages as well as makes it safe for residents to looking out for each other.
There is a mixture between ensuring people can get out—that is transport and many urban services facilities—and facilitating community engagement that we need to encourage more of in our community in Canberra. Those of us who still go to a place of work, either full time or part time, often get a lot of social interaction through our work place and people that we work with, but people who are not in the work force have fewer opportunities for these types of social engagements. It can be exacerbated by finances and other structural factors such as transport and urban services that I have already referred to.
Communities can play a part in checking on your neighbours, making sure you get to know your neighbours and especially doing something if you have not seen your neighbours for a few days. Many people I have spoken to since the recent bus changes say they pick up some of their elderly neighbours especially and take them to the shops because they know they are struggling to get there. It is a great community response that there are people who feel that they can assist their neighbours. But we cannot rely only on the good will of neighbours; we must also ensure that if the neighbours are away on holidays or something else those people have other ways of getting around.
I thank Ms Le Couteur for this matter of public importance today because it is a very real issue. It is a growing issue and one we will hear more and more about over the coming years.
MS ORR (Yerrabi—Minister for Community Services and Facilities, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety and Minister for Government Services and Procurement) (3.05): I would like to thank Ms Le Couteur for raising this important topic for discussion before the Assembly today. Loneliness can affect anyone. However, it is important to recognise the ways in which people with disability are more likely to become chronically lonely. The impacts of social isolation and barriers are often faced in the daily lives of people with disability. It is important to reflect on what this government is doing to promote inclusivity within our community. Many of the barriers linked to community connectivity are practical, such as the need for accessible transport, access to public buildings and homes, and the provision of financial support and appropriate services.
This government recognises how our ageing population is impacted by loneliness due to lack of accessibility. I am pleased to see the increase in funding in the ACT seniors grants program. These grants provide funding for innovative projects that promote seniors as valued members of our community through their active participation in community life.
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