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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-15 Daily Xml
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AGEING POPULATION

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (11:32): I move:

That this house condemns the Rann government for its failure to address issues relating to South Australia's ageing population.

In relation to your ruling, Mr Speaker, I appreciate that, but I will consult Hansard and read the record because it is my recollection that, when I was dealing with my private member's drug bills, I was drummed in on the bell when we were doing exactly that. But, again, Mr Speaker, your ruling is respected.

This is the first time I have spoken in my official capacity as the shadow minister for ageing and population, so this motion is in relation to that subject area, where we are condemning the government for its lack of action in relation to preparation for aged people. The release of the State of Ageing in South Australia report on 17 September contains some very concerning figures that have serious implications for our future.

The report contained the Australian Bureau of Statistics' figures projecting for the first time in the state's history that those aged over 65 and dependent on others will outnumber children under the age of 14 by 2019. These figures also predict that, by 2031, 22.63 per cent of South Australia's population will comprise of people over the age of 65. So, it certainly is a changing demographic and a quite concerning demographic.

South Australia currently has the oldest population in Australia, with 15.4 per cent of the population being aged 65 and over (which certainly makes me feel young), compared with 13.3 per cent nationally. It is quite sobering when you think about these figures. The rise in the numbers of older South Australians will place increased pressures on the aged care sector, along with other services, particularly health, welfare, transport and housing.

The Minister for Ageing, in her foreword for this report (and I note that the minister is in the house, and I appreciate that) said, 'One of the greatest challenges facing our state is our rapidly ageing population.' As the shadow minister for both ageing and population, it is therefore quite appropriate that the two portfolios are linked together.

Well, what is the state Rann Labor government doing to address this situation? All I can say is: very little. Older South Australians are living longer than ever before. This will put significant strain on nursing homes and aged care facilities as they try to manage a sharp increase in patients. Older South Australians have indicated a strong preference to stay in their own homes, according to the government's report, but in many cases need assistance to do so and in many cases they are being taxed out of their homes.

Specialised equipment and assistive technology enables older people to continue living independently and to maximise their quality of life. Currently, there is little coordination for the provision of assistive technology across the various stakeholder groups (information I have personally gleaned in the short time I have been the shadow minister) and more funding is needed. In 2007, a funding injection of $5.7 million was provided by the government to clear the waiting list for people with disabilities who needed assistive technology and equipment. However, nothing has been forthcoming for older South Australians. Once again, the Rann Labor government has chosen to ignore this section of the community.

As demonstrated by the statistics I quoted at the beginning of this speech, the number of older South Australians is on the rise, and the Rann Labor government chooses to ignore this large section of the community at its peril. The government has failed to put more funds into the equipment and assistive technology that allows older people to remain in their homes for longer so that they do not place increased strain on already stretched nursing homes and residential aged care facilities.

Upon examination, I note the state government's 2009-10 budget contains very few announcements specifically aimed at seniors. Older South Australians have been paying taxes their whole life and contributing to this state, yet they are being ignored by this government. They deserve better.

While the much heralded announcement of free public transport for seniors from 1 July between 9 o'clock and 3pm was welcomed, there was no comparable announcement for older South Australians residing in regional and rural areas. This is reflective of the Rann government's approach in general: it neglects country areas all too often. An appropriate and affordable public transport system is critical for older people, particularly for those residing in country areas, as it promotes independence, enables access to services and promotes social connectiveness. The Rann government has failed to improve public transport options for older South Australians residing outside metropolitan Adelaide. I say that again, particularly in relation to my electorate of Schubert, where there is a rail line but no passenger service; yet one could be introduced very quickly and conveniently.

Thank goodness we have the mainly volunteer-supported Barossa transport service, organised very well by council—particularly Ms Elly Milne, who coordinates that group. It does a fantastic job, and the service offers a lot for aged people living in the Barossa who otherwise could not live there, because they would not have access to the medical services that are not available locally and for which they have to come to Adelaide. I take my hat off to the Barossa transport service, delivered beautifully by volunteers and through the council.

COTA Seniors Voice chief executive Ian Yates has said:

The big issues are trying to keep up with increased growth in country areas which are lagging behind their city counterparts, and managing the social isolation many older people feel.

It seems that, to date, the Rann government has failed miserably in trying to achieve this. Aside from free travel on metropolitan public transport during off-peak periods for seniors, and the alleviation of land tax on residential aged care facilities, the Rann government has done nothing to assist older South Australians.

In the Rann government's updated South Australia's Strategic Plan, released in 2007, there is no specific reference to ageing at all. The original plan, released in 2004, contained specific key points in relation to our ageing population; however, that does not appear in the 2007 version. It is very concerning that ageing does not warrant a mention in the revised plan, and it makes one question how serious the Rann government is about dealing with the ageing population and the associated challenges it presents.

The Rann state government's 'Improving with Age: Ageing Plan for South Australia', released in 2006, states:

As a nation we need to consider the range of impacts on the labour market and health care expenditure. These are consequences that are primarily within the ambit of the commonwealth government's responsibility.

Talk about passing the buck and failing to take responsibility! That is certainly the case here, because there is much it can do. I know that a lot of it is federal responsibility, but so much of it can fall into the ambit of the state government.

Further through the report the Rann government states, with regard to the ageing labour market, that:

It is imperative that South Australian employers are prepared to meet this challenge and put initiatives in place to retain mature age workers.

Once again, this demonstrates that the Rann government is ignoring older South Australians and expecting everyone else to deal with the challenges facing the state as a result of a rapidly ageing population. For all ageing people—and that is all of us—access to health services becomes vital.

Mrs Geraghty: Some of us more than others.

Mr VENNING: Well, we hope, acknowledging that interjection. Record waiting lists for elective surgery, along with prolonged waiting times for appointments with specialists, are a primary concern for older South Australians—and that is a headline in today's paper. Waiting times have been extended out to a totally unacceptable period, and it is a primary concern for older South Australians.

As revealed yesterday by the AMA, South Australia now has the worst elective surgery rate in the nation, with the average wait blowing out from 40 to 42 days. If that were not bad enough, just last weekend doctors said that there has been little or no improvement in the past year to overcrowded hospitals, and that is having a flow-on effect to elective surgery procedures, with almost 2,000 procedures cancelled since January. It is a disgrace.

The Royal Adelaide Hospital's Dr James Katsaros has said that the Rann government's claim of reducing overdue elective surgery waiting lists by 98.5 per cent does not take into account people waiting for an appointment to see a specialist:

The public is not being told the real story. We are at bursting point, with a booking queue being used to hold back the vast numbers of people needing elective surgery.

It seems that the thousands of people—generally poor, older and powerless people—in booking queues for elective surgery and specialist appointments are not a priority for this government.

A year ago the Rann government promised it would release the South Australian Health Plan for Older South Australians, but the aged care sector is still waiting. The long delay in releasing this report is further evidence that older people's health is not a high priority for the Rann state Labor government.

Older South Australians are also concerned about access to dental care, as there is a trend towards retention of natural teeth compared to 1979, when 80 per cent of those aged 75 and over had no natural teeth. That is a clear impetus for greater dental maintenance. Older people deserve and need to be able to talk and eat comfortably, to remain pain-free, and be proud and confident in their appearance. Over the past couple of months I have met with many different advocacy groups and organisations, and many of them cite dental care as being a major area of concern.

The Rann state government currently subsidises a program which supports eight private dentists visiting aged care facilities. However, the frailty of many individuals, coupled with the fact that few aged care facilities have dental rooms, prevents many from having the remedial work needed. Aged and Community Services SA & NT estimates that this problem could largely be overcome, and in fact 80 per cent of older people's oral health needs could be met, if portable dental equipment were readily available. The former Liberal government established a program where dentists with portable equipment visited nursing homes and aged care facilities, but the Rann government has done little to expand it. Clearly, more funding is needed.

Concessions are another area where the Rann government has failed older South Australians. Despite the recent increase to the pension, many pensioners are still struggling to make ends meet. The Rann government increased fees and charges this year by an average of 4.2 per cent but concessions to match did not increase, and this is unacceptable. Increases to fees and charges, including water and sewerage charges and council rates, occur every year from 1 July, often increasing in excess of CPI. However, concessions for pensioners are not indexed in the same way.

Over the last decade residential energy costs have increased by 70 per cent, and increases of at least 50 per cent are almost certain over the next three to five years. Already low income households, such as pensioners, are spending more than 10 per cent of their income on electricity, an essential service. I have heard numerous stories of elderly people refusing to use their heating during winter or their air conditioner during summer months in order to keep their electricity bills down. That is atrocious, and it should not be allowed to happen. I appreciate that the state government has said that it will not cream off the recent increase to the pensioners by increasing, for example, Housing Trust rents. I hope that this promise will be upheld.

However, the state Rann Labor government needs to reform its entire concession system, particularly concessions available for essential services such as electricity and water, so that any increases in concessions are not wiped out by an increase in charges, particularly land tax and other insidious taxes these people pay. Many older people have given over their properties to their children, forgetting that once it is not the principal place of residence they are liable for huge land tax payments. Some of these houses are family homes in lovely areas with a high property value and, bang, you are into high land tax.

The Rann Labor government is tired and arrogant and, as I have outlined, has failed to address the challenges facing our state arising from such a rapidly growing proportion of ageing population. With the projection that the percentage of older South Australians will increase sharply in the future, the government cannot continue to ignore these issues. It must address the situation now so that we are prepared for the future, and up to this point it has failed to do so.

The government cannot ignore the changing demographic here in South Australia. We are already the state with the oldest population in Australia, and the state government has many things that it can and should do. It must encourage people to stay in the workforce as long as possible, encourage them to stay in their own homes and make life easier for them.

I challenge members of the government, as we run into the election period, to address this problem within the respective portfolios and to make sure that the aged-care problem is prominent in their policy because, if they do not, 15 per cent is enough people to decide who wins many of these seats. If the government ignores these problems it will do so at its political peril. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to serve the parliament in this way as shadow minister for ageing, and I have much pleasure in moving the motion that this house condemns the Rann government for its failure to address issues relating to South Australia's ageing population.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Northern Suburbs, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (11:47): I thank the member for Schubert for his motion. How many years have you been in this place, member for Schubert? How many years have you been a member of parliament?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: No, I want to—

An honourable member: We ask the questions.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I am being nice. How many years have you been in here?

The SPEAKER: Order! The—

An honourable member: It's 19 years.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Is it 19 years? I want to congratulate him on reaching his elevated position as a shadow minister. So, I am trying to be nice—19 years in here representing his constituency, and now his efforts have been recognised as the shadow minister for ageing. I just want to congratulate him on that. I thank the member for his motion, because it gives me the opportunity to outline what this government is doing to support older South Australians. I would happily have briefed the member for Schubert prior to his getting up and making so many incorrect assertions in this place, but we will try to address and work through some of them.

Mr Venning: Just put it on the record.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I am about to put it on the record.

Mr Venning interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Absolutely. This government recognises that the population here in South Australia is ageing, as is the population around our nation, and in fact it is a—

The Hon. G.M. Gunn: Ageing gracefully—

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Yes, some of us are ageing more gracefully than others, member for Stuart. This is a phenomenon that is occurring around the world, and it leads to the need for greater support and innovation in the way in which we address these needs. There is absolutely no doubt that the generations who are now moving into that age bracket have different aspirations and expectations from previous generations. They are more educated, more active, healthier and they have a much different aspiration for their lives: it is no longer a case of retiring and being willing to sit in a corner where they while away their retirement hours.

Rather than seeing this phenomenon as a threat, the Rann government sees it as a real opportunity. I am of the view that older populations provide positive opportunities for our community. We are not into those negative myths and stereotypes about ageing, and I get very cross when I hear about the youth problem and ageing problem so that it would appear that the only people who are not problems in our community are those who are aged between about 20 and 60. It is a nonsense.

Our state's prosperity relies on the contributions of older people as workers, volunteers, grandparents and carers. Even as grandparents, there is a very special role we all play in building the self-esteem and confidence of our younger generation of people as they come through, and this government is committed to ensuring that the lives of older people are the best they can be.

On 1 October—the International Day of Older Persons—we had a fantastic celebration here in South Australia in the Goyder Pavilion at the Wayville showgrounds. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the shadow minister there on that day, but about 1,000 South Australians came along to enjoy—

Mr Venning: I wasn't here.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Where were you?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Well, sorry about that. You missed a great function, with 1,000 older South Australians being entertained and educated. It was a fantastic event. Perhaps next year the member might like to come along if he still has this shadow portfolio. We host an event every year to recognise and celebrate positive ageing and the significant contribution that older South Australians make in our community. On 1 October, one great initiative that I launched at that function was a memory appointment and navigation assistance calendar. It is a talking head calendar, consisting of a computer-generated person who can remind people about appointments through a calendar application. Appointments can be entered by using the Google calendar system, and this can be done by a family member, carer, friend—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: No, don't laugh. This is a really amazing innovation. You are all laughing at it, but if you are suffering from dementia it is a fantastic innovation. It has been developed in partnership with Flinders University and is to be trialled with Alzheimer's Australia. So, whilst you lot might think it is funny, those older South Australians facing the challenge of Alzheimer's actually think it is a pretty good initiative.

Dr McFETRIDGE: Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I take great umbrage at the insinuation by the minister that I am laughing at the innovation of ITC to help people with Alzheimer's. I am certainly not.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order.

Mr Venning: We were laughing at the way you presented it—nothing to do with the subject.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The way I presented! I am presenting it in a serious way—

Mr Venning: You said 'talking head'.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: It is a talking head. You might laugh at yourself a little in relation to that. The member for Schubert referred to the recently released state of ageing report. I make the point that that report was initiated by the state government to better help us prepare. The report was commissioned by the Office for the Ageing, in collaboration with three universities, to give us an indepth look at the ageing population and what it means for our state. It provides a statistical snapshot of the issues and facts to equip us with the information we need to respond to the potential issues and take advantage of the opportunities the ageing population will bring.

This report builds on achievements we have already made in supporting older South Australians, and I will go through some of those. I do not have enough time to list them all, but I will go through some of them. Since the 2006 Ageing Plan for South Australia was launched, the Office for the Ageing, through the Improving with Age and Community Care Innovation Fund programs, has provided over $6 million to progress over 60 ageing plan projects. The Improving with Age fund provides funding to implement initiatives that support older South Australians, whilst the Community Care Innovation Fund supports initiatives which progress reforms and promotes best practice in community care. A further $2 million will be allocated in 2009-10.

According to the most recent data (2007-08), the Home and Community Care program provided assistance to over 92,000 people in South Australia. This included services such as domiciliary care, RDNS, Meals on Wheels, and local government 'home assist' programs. For 2008-09, the funding increased by approximately 8 per cent in South Australia, rising from $138.8 million to $149.7 million. The state-funded Grants for Seniors program aims to promote and encourage participation in community inclusion to ensure older people have opportunities to be fully involved in their communities through a broad range of cultural, sporting and educational recreation programs. Positive ageing development grants provide larger grants of up to $25,000 to encourage the participation of older people in their community and improve community attitudes towards older people.

The Elder Protection program, in recognition of the problems associated with elder abuse, two agencies receive recurrent funding from the Elder Protection program for the Aged Rights Advocacy Service program and Radio for the Third Age. We have recurrent funding in an Ethnic Ageing Grants program for older people and our South Australian seniors card program, which administers the seniors card program, I think with over 21,400 applications received during 2008-09. We now have over 296,000 registered card holders.

As the member for Schubert pointed out, this government introduced a $10 million public transport subsidy to give all seniors card holders free public transport during the inter peak period. The needs of older Aboriginal people continue to be a focus of the Office for the Ageing and other areas of the Department for Families and Communities. We have a dementia action plan—I could go through those issues.

The member for Schubert mentions concessions. This is an important issue. Let me go through this, and I will go through what has improved since 2002. The state concessions on energy increased by 71 per cent in 2004. Further one-off payments of $50 were provided in 2004; and a $150 energy concession bonus in 2005. In relation to water, a major change in the structure of water remissions was introduced in 2008, ensuring that concession recipients receive an amount relative to their actual water charges up to a maximum of $200. This is 110 per cent more than the previous maximum remission. The combined payments provided by both the state and commonwealth governments as support for pensioners who are homeowners have grown from $519.40 per annum in 2001 to a maximum of $1,297.40 for those receiving the maximum water remission and who have a home internet allowance.

Time expired.

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (11:57): I am pleased to speak to this. I was not intending to speak, but after some of the nonsense that has come out of the minister's mouth, I felt compelled, particularly for the aged population, the elderly, in my own electorate of Finniss. Now, I have never heard such a lot of categorical nonsense. Much of this is fine if you live in the metropolitan area. Let me turn to public transport which the minister was promoting. There is no public transport in the electorate of Finniss whatsoever. We have thousands of elderly citizens, retired people, but there is none whatsoever. Despite my pleadings and the pleadings of previous members, there isn't any. It is a categorical nonsense for the minister to say that they have put $10 million into public transport for aged people. What a lot of tommyrot. This will go well down there, don't you worry.

I turn to public health, particularly dental health. If an aged person or pensioner wants to go to the dentist, they can wait for four to five years to get into the public health clinic to get their teeth fixed—four to five years. What are they doing outside metropolitan Adelaide? I will tell you what, they are not doing a thing, not a jolly thing. The minister might like to retire on the South Coast and go into the public dental health system wanting to get her teeth fixed. She can put her name down because she will wait four to five years, and then she will wait another four to five years. It is all very well for the local Labor Party candidate to run around puffing and blowing, but absolutely nothing is happening.

Let me also tell you about the wait for surgery in regional South Australia, not only in my own electorate but in other areas where you now have to wait any amount of time even for simple surgery, let alone more complicated surgery. The South Coast District Hospital is a fine institution put in there by locals and supported over many years. It has now lost its board through the government's changes to the act; however, the limitations on surgery down there mean that the aged and retired people must come to the city for surgery that they cannot get down there. Again, they cannot come on public transport because there is no public transport. Then they get on the queue and wait and wait.

Turning to transport issues, the department of transport pulled its office out of Goolwa, so now what does anyone do who needs to have things done with the department of transport—licensing, or whatever? What do they have to do? They have to go to Christies Beach, and how do they get to Christies Beach? They cannot get there unless they drive or get a family member to take them because there is no public transport. When they get up there they have to get in a queue forever and a day before they get served. They are incensed about it.

I have raised this with minister Conlon. I know that he is aware of it, but it simply is not good enough, and it is totally irrelevant for the minister to suggest that they are doing the right thing for everyone because I can tell members that, out in regional South Australia, they are not. Law and order also affects aged people and retirees. What do we have down on the South Coast? Last weekend we had one patrol in the evening to cover the whole area from Cape Jervis, through Yankalilla and right up to Currency Creek—one police patrol. Is that looking after law and order for the South Coast? It absolutely is not.

I do not want to listen to this nonsense in here being perpetrated by the minister about what a wonderful job they are doing for the aged. The member for Schubert is quite right in his motion. He has hit the nail on the head. I am not suggesting that the government is not putting the money into some programs—and I notice that the minister got on her high horse over some dementia program. Well, let me tell members that I am well aware of the work that is done. It is also aided and abetted by the many thousands of volunteers we have in South Australia, and the thousands of volunteers on the South Coast also assist with those things.

It is not all bad, but it is no good standing up in here, puffing and blowing, and saying what a wonderful job they are doing when anyone who lives outside of metropolitan Adelaide is absolutely left abandoned. If members think that we can get a bit cranky on this, we can. If it was not for the federal Department of Veterans' Affairs, which does look after veterans, war widows, families and people such as that who come under its jurisdiction, it would be even worse. Even then they have downtrodden the Repat—five mental health beds have been taken out of the Repat. That is going down like a hole in the head.

If you want to stand over there and be champagne socialists, you can wear it, because you are not looking after regional South Australia and the elderly. You are not looking after them and you have not looked after them in the past. You have totally forgotten about them in the last eight years, so it is no good trying to pretend that you are doing all the wonderful work in the world. I acknowledge the work that the minister has put forward—

The Hon. J.M. Rankine interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: You know, if you want to sit over there and carry on like that, that is fine. I was about to say that I acknowledge the work that the minister has done. I acknowledge her work and that of her department. I also acknowledge the work that has been done by the Minister for Health. However, it has to go outside metropolitan Adelaide—and, if we just go back to it, no public transport and a three, four, five year wait for dental treatment in public dental clinics. All those things just add up. We have the department of transport issue and we have the law and order issue. It is time to get real about anywhere outside of Adelaide and do something about it.

I support the member for Schubert's motion. The minister wants to take a good deep breath and think about some of the things I have had to say, whether or not she likes it, and perhaps acknowledge that an area does exist outside Gepps Cross, Darlington and the Tollgate. They need these services as well, and it is up to this government to get up and do something about it.

The Hon. G.M. GUNN (Stuart) (12:04): I move:

That the debate be adjourned.

Mrs Geraghty interjecting:

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: Well, you have cut us off on all the others; so you wear a bit of your own back.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: You have a Notice Paper here and you have not been game even to talk about it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Stuart, this is most unlike you. Was someone about to speak? If someone is about to speak, would they rise?

Mrs GERAGHTY: I was just going to raise some points—

The Hon. G.M. Gunn interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Stuart, I had not fully checked the chamber to see whether anyone was ready to speak.

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: I rise on a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. The government has—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Stuart, resume your seat. There is a motion that the debate be adjourned.

Motion carried.

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