Elder Abuse

Ms COOK (Fisher) (15:08): My question is to the Minister for Ageing. What is the government doing to stop elder abuse in our community?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:09): I thank the member for this question. Sadly, around one in 20 older Australians experiences some form of abuse from someone they trust, often a member of their own family. This abuse can be financial, emotional, physical neglect, social or even sexual in nature. On 12 June, we will commence phase 2 of the 'Elder abuse can be stopped' campaign, which will be visible across radio, social media and the public domain until 26 June. Elder Abuse Awareness Day is officially on 15 June. This builds on phase 1 launched in October last year and will target workplaces and professionals in the health, financial and legal sectors, who are often the first to notice signs of abuse but who, up until now, may not have known what to do about it.

A new resource, the Stop Elder Abuse wallet card, has been developed for staff in these sectors to discreetly give to older clients they may be concerned about. It directs people to call the Elder Abuse Prevention Phone Line on 1800 372 310 if they are concerned about elder abuse. Over 150 calls have been received by the Elder Abuse Prevention Phone Line to help address concerns of families, friends and work colleagues and, more significantly, from older people themselves who want to talk.

I highly recommend that members visit www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/stopelderabuse, which features a wealth of valuable information, tools and resources for the broader community and professionals. With more than 7,000 visits to the page between October and April, it is proving to be a valuable resource.