Page 918 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 April 1994
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theme suggests that sometimes older people feel that they are not valued by the community. This has been compounded by predictions of the future costs of Australia's ageing population and the perception in the community that older people are dependent and a burden to others.
The recent report of the Economic Planning Advisory Council, Australia's Ageing Society, focused on the increased demands on retirement incomes, health expenditure, home and community care, and the economy more generally that could be expected as a result of the ageing of the Australian population. This view needs to be balanced by an emphasis on the significant contribution older people make to our society - not just in a host of ways which are largely unrecognised because they are voluntary, but also in terms of economics. Not only are older people carers and volunteers; they are also consumers and hold a high percentage of the nation's wealth.
In this statement, Madam Speaker, I wish to focus on the contribution older people make to our community, because this is often unrecognised, and to address some of the myths that surround ageing. I also wish to outline Government initiatives in the area of ageing that will ensure that we plan for an ageing ACT population in a systematic and timely way.
One of the first myths to tackle is that older people are a drain on our community. According to an Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of families, many Canberrans have a kin network that extends well beyond the immediate household. Many ACT residents receive support from family members not living with them. This support includes income support, help to find jobs, free accommodation, and help with personal care and transport. Many of the family members providing this invaluable support are older people.
Older people are often the carers of people in our community who are young, sick, disabled or frail. The survey conducted by the bureau showed that grandparents constituted 58 per cent of all people who usually provided weekly care to children under 12 years of age. The survey also indicated that in the ACT in the previous 10-year period 22,800 residents received help from family members to purchase a home or land or to conduct home improvements and that over 8,000 people received an inheritance of land, a house or other residence. Older people are often the providers of these material benefits, but such statistics do not indicate the wealth of skills, experiences and caring that older people also share with their families. Older people contribute greatly to ACT families.
Older people also contribute to our community in other ways. They often give up their own time to work in our social clubs, community service organisations, sporting groups and educational institutions in a voluntary capacity. It is difficult to see how these organisations could maintain the level and quality of their activities without the input of these volunteers. The fact is that older people are a very valuable resource. They are the major group of volunteers in our community. It has been estimated that at least a quarter of older Australians are active in their local communities as volunteers, particularly in social services, but also in less visible ways.
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