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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 3164 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

can suffer degenerative diseases such as dementia, and in that situation they are particularly needy. We do not necessarily see those needs being met at the moment. As I said, when you look at the way the number of people in our community who are older is increasing, that is also a matter of concern. It does need to be addressed and solutions need to be found to support these people in our community. Older people with a disability, other than just through old age, of course, are also very vulnerable. People with mental illness as they get older are extremely vulnerable, and that has been made quite clear to the Social Policy Committee in its work in looking at services related to mental illness.

I will not repeat what other members have said. I acknowledge what Mr Kaine has said about what the Government is doing on this issue, but I also acknowledge what Ms Reilly has said about services not meeting the need. I think it is something that is going to be requiring ongoing attention from governments in this place and from the community as a whole as well, because governments cannot do everything. I guess we, as a community, need to address how we accept and include older people amongst us, and we must continue to value the contribution that they make. Some of the political groupings that are forming now around older people, such as grey power and others - I do not know the names of them - are making that point very clearly. They have a lot to contribute in discussions about our community and the directions in which we should go. I would always want to see that those opinions are valued and that older people are included in the participative forums that we put together as members of the parliament and also more generally in the community. I would always want to see an open and welcoming approach to older people.

MR BERRY (Leader of the Opposition) (5.10): The first point I want to make in this debate about the importance of maintaining services and funding for all older people in the ACT community relates to a comment that was reported from Mrs Carnell in relation to the Prime Minister, Mr Howard. Mrs Carnell is on the public record on 28 August 1997 as saying she solidly supported his economic policies - that is, the policies of the Prime Minister, Mr Howard. There is no question about it that older Canberrans are doing it tough under the Liberals. I think the elderly deserve our respect, not the treatment that is being handed out to them. The decisions that John Howard has made negatively impact on elderly Canberrans, and I will list a few of them. Mr Howard introduced entry fees for nursing homes. Do you solidly support that economic policy?

Mrs Carnell: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like Mr Berry to actually quote the - - -

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do you have a point of order?

Mrs Carnell: Yes, I do. I would like him to quote the second part of the sentence.

MR BERRY: That is not a point of order. Do you support that economic policy? He introduced entry fees for nursing homes. There is now no limit on what can be charged for entry into a nursing home. People needing a bed in a nursing home could be forced to pay more than $88,000. Most people will have to sell their home.

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