Page 2969 - Week 10 - Friday, 8 October 2021
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complete, and 20 further actions are underway. I note that there is further work happening in our age-friendly suburbs in this year’s budget. Importantly, the plan is not just a compilation of important actions but a critical expression of commitment to older people in our community. To this end, the plan has been a springboard for adaptive and emerging responses to the needs of older people through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Libraries ACT have continued to deliver their digital helpline to support people to access the libraries’ online resources, and the Human Rights Commission’s powers have permanently been expanded to investigate complaints in relation to the abuse of people at risk—a measure that was introduced temporarily as part of the COVID-19 response. In the community, with the support of a seniors grant, the University of Canberra’s work with Northside Community Service to create the intergenerational penpal program for older people and primary school students has nurtured connections in a time of isolation.
In April this year, this Assembly unanimously passed a motion calling on the government to progress work on Dementia Friendly Cities as part of the Age-Friendly City Plan. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that Access Canberra is exploring dementia assistance training for service centre staff and that dementia-friendly principles have been considered in the design of the new Access Canberra Belconnen Service Centre. The ACT government is also looking at the application of dementia-friendly planning for ACT government events when they can once again take place.
Centring the voices and experiences of older people in ACT government policies, programs and services, is crucial to building an age-friendly city, and to this end I am indebted to the expert and lived experience advice of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing, MACA. The MACA comprises 12 dedicated community members, each bringing rich expertise and deep connections to different parts of Canberra’s community.
I said at the beginning of this statement that the International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity to recognise the vital role older people play in making Canberra the city we love. Older Canberrans contribute immeasurably to the care of people in our community as informal carers and grandparents, and their contribution as volunteers is the lifeblood of many organisations and groups across our city. It is worth noting that today’s retirees are the most educated generation in history. We know that the decrease in older people’s volunteering availability reverberates across Canberra and through families unable to draw on the care from, and connection with, grandparents in the same way.
One of the lessons from this pandemic is that we need to better recognise the work that older people do to make our community more inclusive, equitable and caring. When it comes to equality and justice for older people, there is no doubt we have work to do. More than one in four older Australians live in poverty. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety report has shone a much-needed light on the systemic failings in our care. And aged-based workplace discrimination is rife, with over a quarter of Australians aged over 50 having experienced it. These are
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