Page 605 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 2019
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That the Assembly take note of the following paper:
Age Friendly Canberra—A Vision for our City.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for the Arts and Cultural Events, Minister for Building Quality Improvement, Minister for Business and Regulatory Services and Minister for Seniors and Veterans) (2.57): I am pleased to rise to speak to the tabling of Age friendly Canberra—a vision for our city. The document sets out foundational principles to guide the next steps for an age-friendly Canberra, a Canberra where older people’s contributions, life experience, and wisdom are recognised and their active participation is valued and enabled.
Our recent age-friendly city survey highlighted the active role older Canberrans play. They work, they volunteer, they assist family and friends and they undertake advisory roles. They bring significant resources to the social, community and economic life of our city. Results from the survey indicate, however, that there are some areas with room for improvement. For example, of the 768 responses, 29 per cent of respondents said that they had been subject to age-based discrimination, including being made to feel invisible or underestimated, often when shopping or in the workplace.
Negative attitudes and behaviours in our community about ageing and older people have significant consequences for the physical and mental health of older people and for the community as a whole. We need to value the experience and knowledge of older people and ensure that they are not excluded but, rather, connected and active members of the city.
As part of our commitment to building an inclusive and welcoming city for all Canberrans, Age friendly Canberra—a vision for our city identifies a key set of principles to guide the next steps towards the continuing development of Canberra as an age-friendly city. The 12 foundational principles outlined were primarily developed by my Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing and built on the findings of the age-friendly city survey. They have been endorsed by government to guide our ongoing work in this area. The priorities identified provide the foundation for an age-friendly city plan which will be developed over the next year in consultation with older Canberrans, the community sector and across government.
Through this work we will, as a priority, counter the abuse of older people. We will recognise the significant and diverse contributions older people make to our community and foster community attitudes which afford dignity and respect towards older people. We will strengthen the inclusion of the voice of older people in policy development. We will ensure that our city services are responsive to the needs of older people, and we will strengthen access to information and services.
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