Page 1100 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011

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The men’s shed concept is a wonderful one and should be very much supported by everybody.

Also we have the Tuggeranong 55 Plus Club. They run a huge number of activities, including a book club, exercise classes, bush walks and excursions. As we know, they recently turned the sod on the new site at Lake Tuggeranong. It is wonderful that they will have their own site, because it will allow them to expand the activities they currently run and will provide them with a wonderful venue to run the activities they already do.

Social inclusion is particularly important when it comes to people’s physical and mental health, particularly for older people. Providing transport for those too frail to drive or travel by public transport is one of the ways that Communities@Work contributes to the wellbeing of seniors in our community. Transport programs provide transportation for older people who cannot access public transport, allowing them to do their shopping and to attend appointments and social events.

Specifically referring to ACT Seniors Week, it really is very much a celebration of the initiatives which we see and a welcome recognition of the vital role the Council on the Ageing and all the other community groups play in promoting the important place of older people in Australian society. Along with a number of other members here in this place, I attended the COTA Seniors Week breakfast. This is an event that I have attended for the last few years. It is a wonderful start to Seniors Week, and they always have fantastic speakers at these events. The speaker last year was Dr John Buckingham, who passed away recently. I would like to acknowledge, as Ms Gallagher did yesterday, that he was, of course, the ACT’s nomination for Senior Australian of the Year last year. He was an absolutely wonderful person to hear speak, and my thoughts go to his family and friends on his passing. He made just an outstanding contribution to the ACT community, and it is very sad that he is no longer with us. His contribution helps to show the positive contribution older people make to our community and continue to make.

Again, I thank Mr Hargreaves for bringing this motion here today. Seniors Week is a really important event on the ACT calendar. The older persons assembly will be an excellent addition to activities for older people. I hope all members will attend and that the outcomes contribute to and are considered in the way policy is developed. I will be there, and Ms Burch has indicated she will be there. The Older People’s Assembly in Scotland was extremely successful and made a great contribution to government policy and debate. I am absolutely confident it will do the same thing here in the ACT.

MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (4.26): I thank Mr Hargreaves for bringing this motion forward. The Canberra Liberals will be supporting the motion. There is nothing in the motion that we could disagree with, but I foreshadow that I have circulated an amendment which I believe would add to the motion. But we are happy to support every one of the clauses put forward by Mr Hargreaves.

The motion talks about the work of the Council on the Ageing. I note Paul Flint is with us here today, and I acknowledge his great work with COTA as well as that of


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