Page 1512 - Week 04 - Thursday, 25 March 2010
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paying water rates that will pay for the building of this dam deserve to know how much profit the alliance partners are taking out of this project. I commit myself to finding that answer.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Ageing
Statement by minister
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Women) (12.13), by leave: Today, during Seniors Week, I would like to take the opportunity to highlight some of the government’s key achievements in supporting older Canberrans and promoting positive ageing. The ACT, like Australia generally, is experiencing an increasingly ageing population. The number of people in the ACT aged 60 and over is expected to grow from its current level of 15.8 per cent, to 16.9 per cent in 2020, and to 22 per cent by 2030. To ensure that we are able to respond to this changing demographic, the government has made a commitment to create an age-friendly city and to promote positive ageing.
Age-friendly cities encourage active ageing by optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. This is achieved by making its structures and services accessible and inclusive of older people. Positive ageing is about maximising our quality of life in older years by forming and maintaining social networks, maintaining healthy lifestyles and remaining active members of our community. It also means planning for our older years, not only financially but also in terms of our health, our social networks and lifestyle.
Positive ageing is everyone’s responsibility, including government, business and the community at large. Last year, the government developed and launched the strategic plan for positive ageing 2010-14. This five-year plan identifies ways in which the government and the community will work together to promote positive ageing. The plan was developed in partnership with the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing and reflects feedback and input from extensive discussions with individuals, community groups and government agencies. The plan is organised under seven priorities, and these are information and communication; health and wellbeing; respect, valuing and safety; housing and accommodation; support services; transport and mobility; and work and retirement.
I would like to focus on the progress of these priorities. Access to information for older people was one of the most important issues raised through our consultations with the community. The plan outlines ways in which we work in partnership with other areas of government, community organisations and business groups to better coordinate and promote information that is relevant and useful to older people and their families.
One of the key actions for the ACT government is the development of an online ACT seniors information portal. There is already a wealth of information about services
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