Resolutions

Elder Abuse

The House of Assembly passed the following resolution to which it desires the concurrence of the Legislative Council:

1. That in the opinion of this house, a joint committee be established to inquire into and report on matters relating to elder abuse in South Australia, and in doing so consider—

(a) the prevalence of abuse (including but not limited to financial abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, social abuse, chemical abuse and neglect) experienced by older people in South Australia;

(b) the most common forms of abuse experienced by older persons and the most common relationships or settings in which abuse occurs;

(c) the types of government and/or community support services sought by, or on behalf of, victims of elder abuse and the nature of service received from those agencies and organisations;

(d) the adequacy of the policies, resources, powers and expertise of specialist agencies (including South Australia Police, Office of the Public Advocate, Aged Rights Advocacy Service, Legal Services Commission, Public Trustee, Domiciliary Care South Australia) and other relevant service agencies to respond to allegations of elder abuse;

(e) identifying effective ways to improve reporting of and responding to elder abuse to assist in establishing best practice strategies for multi-agency responses;

(f) identifying any strength-based initiatives which empower older persons to better protect themselves from risks of abuse as they age;

(g) the effectiveness of South Australian laws, policies, services and strategies, including the South Australian Strategy for Safeguarding Older People 2014-2021, in safeguarding older persons from abuse;

(h) innovation for long-term integrated systems and proactive measures to respond to the increasing number of older persons, including consideration of their diverse needs and experiences, to prevent abuse;

(i) the consideration of new proposals or initiatives which may enhance existing strategies for safeguarding older persons who may be vulnerable to abuse or prevent such abuse, including with reference to international best practice;

(j) identifying ways to inform older South Australians about online scams to which they may be vulnerable; and

(k) any other related matter.

2. That in the event of a joint committee being appointed, the House of Assembly shall be represented thereon by three members, of whom two shall form a quorum of assembly members necessary to be present at all sittings of the committee.