Page 2989 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 6 August 2008
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home large enough to raise a family and set on a reasonably sized block may present challenges. The Stanhope government has a range of strategies in place to make downsizing more affordable for older Canberrans or help people adapt their housing and also to age in place.
In relation to aged care and independent living property developments, the ACT government is committed to working with the building industry and aged-care providers to reduce the time it takes to deliver high quality aged persons accommodation through a whole-of-government case management approach to assist proponents on virtually all projects.
I have taken a personal interest in the welfare of those living in retirement villages and I have initiated a series of consultations about retirement village living and also about the government system, which currently is regulated by the fair trading provision through a retirement villages code of practice. The Stanhope government will continue to support active engaged and inclusive policies to ensure older Canberrans do not become socially isolated. One way it does this is through the government’s policy framework for ageing 2007 to 2009, which is entitled “A society for all ages”.
This supports a society in which people of all ages and abilities or different linguistic backgrounds are valued for their contribution, a society where they are respected and included, a society where they are encouraged to reach their full potential and where they can share the benefits of our community and have ready access to a range of productive activities and interests. This government is committed to a social justice agenda where the principles of access, equity and participation are fostered and strengthened.
The third priority of building our community, the Canberra social plan, is contributing to a safe, strong and cohesive community, and this includes meeting the diverse needs of our ageing community and promoting social inclusion. The Stanhope government will continue to do this. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (5.39): It is important that we dwell on issues in relation to our ageing and how we foster social inclusion. I agree with Ms Porter that keeping engaged with the community is one way, and a very important way, of ensuring a healthy life for those who have retired from the workforce.
The expectations that we have in this day and age are quite different from what they were even half a generation ago, when people who retired at 60 or 65 may have looked forward to 10, or at most 15, years of retirement. Now, in the ACT especially, where we have a large proportion of people who are public servants, we find that we have people who are facing very long periods of retirement from the full-time workforce. There is a huge range of issues, ranging from whether they have enough income security to see them through a much longer than expected retirement to issues in relation to social inclusion.
We should go back and look at the issues that aged persons organisations think are the most important when we are dealing with issues relating to aged people. All of these eventually boil down to what Ms Porter might call social inclusion. The most
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