Page 1098 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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invaluable, and organisations such as COTA reflect that. I would like to take this opportunity to remind those present that the older persons assembly was an idea put forward by the Greens. I tabled the older persons assembly motion on 16 November last year, and I am very pleased to see that the government has fully embraced this proposal. I am very much looking forward to participating in the event in September, and I hope to see all members participate in this.
I would just like to note that Neal from the Assembly’s education office said that they received quite a bit of interest in the older persons assembly proposal at the Seniors Week expo, so that is good. I know that the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing is working very hard on the older persons assembly as well, and a number of members have spoken to me about it at various events. It is good to see that this is being embraced, and I think it will be a really wonderful event for the ACT.
It is hoped that the information presented to the Assembly will be noted and that it will lead to real outcomes for older people in our society. This is something I reflected on in my original speech on the older persons assembly, but I would just like to go back to the comment made by Alex Fergusson, a member of the Scottish parliament, at the opening of their Older People’s Assembly to show what Mr Hargreaves has said in his motion today and what our older persons assembly will bring to the ACT:
The challenge, I would suggest, is not that our population is ageing but that as a society we have perhaps not given enough thought to the positive aspects an ageing population can bring. Nor have we given enough thought to its particular needs or even considered how to capitalise on the skills and experience an older society undoubtedly possesses.
It is absolutely critical that older people are empowered with a strong voice today in order to ensure that our services and policies tomorrow are fit for purpose. As of 2010, almost 16 per cent of Canberra’s population was over 60 years. Seniors form a large and very important part of the ACT community. In Anglicare’s state of the family report, the author stated that the ageing society is seen as a problem, whereas perhaps we need to look much harder at the positives that older people can bring to our community. As I said, organisations like COTA and the activities that they run, such as the University of the Third Age, show what a positive contribution older people make.
We have an ageing population which is generally healthy for longer with more leisure time as a result of longer retirement and a large amount of education and experience. Many older people feel that they would like to give back to the community, and it is a fact that the vast majority of volunteer organisations would find it hard to function without the time and effort provided by the older members of our society. Their accumulated skills and knowledge are truly invaluable.
Organisations such as Council on the Ageing are enormously important in promoting the rights and wellbeing of all older people. They provide avenues for volunteering, opportunities to socialise and representation to governments on all aspects of life as seniors. COTA were involved in starting what are the best-known programs for older Canberrans—Meals on Wheels, Home Help Service and Carers ACT. I am sure
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