Page 896 - Week 03 - Thursday, 19 March 2015

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aged workforce participation for those 65-plus will rise from 12.9 per cent to 17.3 per cent. Australians will also live longer and will do so in better health. We will continue to lead active lifestyles and we will remain in the workforce after reaching the current traditional retirement age.

It is against this backdrop that the ACT government is keen to ensure that all Canberrans have the opportunity to participate fully in the social and economic life of our city. Employers and businesses have an important role to play in supporting this agenda of inclusion and equality. In partnership with the ACT government, the Canberra Business Chamber was instrumental in showcasing age-friendly employment best practice as part of last year’s inaugural ACT age-friendly awards. I am pleased to inform members that we will again hold the ACT age-friendly awards this year.

Increasing the employment participation of seniors in our city provides tremendous benefits, not only by retaining valuable knowledge and skills within our workforce but also by providing solutions that address some of the economic impacts of an ageing population. With this in mind, I am pleased to announce that tomorrow I will be hosting an ACT mature age workers ministerial roundtable which will provide an opportunity for peak bodies and seniors to identify local barriers, opportunities and solutions for the mature age workforce in our city.

This is part of the ACT government’s ongoing conversation with businesses and the broader community to understand the issues affecting mature age workers and to identify further opportunities to build a fairer, more equal and inclusive Canberra for our seniors. I am happy to advise that I have invited Mr Doszpot to attend as well.

I am focused on providing older people with avenues to remain working, as I recognise the importance of economic engagement to the ongoing health of our economy, and social inclusion for seniors. I look forward to providing members with feedback on the outcomes and actions arising from the ACT mature age workers ministerial roundtable.

I would like now to turn to the work the government has done following our second older persons assembly in October last year. Members will know that there were over 50 recommended actions from the older persons assembly. As the Minister for Ageing, I was impressed by the informed discussions by delegates, including one example which highlighted that some older Canberrans find it difficult to use pedestrian pathways in their local community because of a fear of possible physical collision with fast-moving cyclists. In response to this action and as a consequence of the findings from the 2014 report by the inquiry into vulnerable road users, the government is developing a community education strategy which will include a cyclists code of conduct and address the particular issue raised by the delegate.

The older persons assembly delegates also called for action to ensure safer roads for older people and our community generally. We listened to this advice, and new pedestrian or refuge islands will continue to be built on new and existing roads, based on an assessment of local need.


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