Aged Rights Advocacy Service

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:03): My question is to the Attorney-General. Can the Attorney-General tell the council about the Aged Rights Advocacy Service round table which he attended recently.

An honourable member interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:03): I thank the honourable member for his question. It is fortunate that I attended recently so that I can remember to tell the chamber the details of having attended the Aged Rights Advocacy Service round table. I thank the honourable member—although he is a very young person—for his ongoing interest in aged rights.

I had the great pleasure of attending one of the recent round tables of the Aged Rights Advocacy Service to discuss complexities related to older South Australians accessing timely and affordable legal services. The Aged Rights Advocacy Service is a service that provides advocacy to older people living in South Australia who receive My Aged Care services, as well as conducting research and providing policy advice across the aged-care sector.

The Aged Rights Advocacy Service is also the South Australian member of the Older Persons Advocacy Network, a national network comprising nine state and territory organisations that, as members of the network, offer free, independent and confidential support and information to older people seeking or already using Australian government-funded aged-care services across the nation, along with their families and carers.

The Aged Rights Advocacy Service is funded by the Australian government's National Aged Care Advocacy Program and offers a free, confidential, statewide service to older people (or their representees) who are living in residential aged care, are recipients of the Commonwealth Home Support Program or home care package, or are at risk of experiencing abuse from family or friends, or are living in a retirement village. The round table coincided with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and involved key stakeholders from universities, community legal centres, the Office of the Public Advocate, other advocacy groups and social support services, and the Legal Services Commission.

I thank the Chief Executive of the Aged Rights Advocacy Service, Ms Carolanne Barkla, for inviting me to attend this important roundtable discussion, where stakeholders spoke candidly and productively about the necessity for ongoing critical analysis of our laws concerning older South Australians, including areas such as powers of attorney, advance care directives and guardianship and administration orders.

I was pleased to update the group on the work the government has been doing in relation to older South Australians, including much work that is happening at a federal level for harmonisation across jurisdictions. I thank everyone who attended the round table who shared their expertise and contributed to this important discussion. I very much look forward to furthering that discussion as we continue to work together to ensure that as a state we are constantly looking to improve the rights and protections for older South Australians.