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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-28 Daily Xml
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AGED SUPPORT

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:17): My question is to the Minister for Ageing. Can the minister please advise the house of upcoming events and initiatives to celebrate older South Australians?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:17): Since coming to government, this Labor government has listened to seniors and delivered on a range of initiatives to support older people to stay safe and remain independent for as long as possible.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Bragg, please behave.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: It appears it is all right to be ageist on that side of the house but not appropriate for anyone on this side of the house to talk about age. It is interesting.

The SPEAKER: I would have thought a number of the members on that side of the house would have been very interested in this issue of ageing.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: That's right. Our $2.9 million personal alert systems rebate scheme, which started in April, has been one of the most successful initiatives. We have had a very positive response to the scheme, with around 475 applications approved to date. But we are going to do more. Until now, monitoring services have been available for personal alert systems purchased on or after 1 July 2010, and I am pleased to advise that we will be backdating monitoring rebates so eligible people who bought and installed an approved alarm system before this date will now also be able to receive the subsidy.

This announcement will give many older South Australians another reason to celebrate as communities across the state come together for the annual Every Generation Festival. Run by COTA SA and proudly sponsored by our state government, the festival kicks off with the International Day of Older Persons celebrations and the announcement of the state's Positive Ageing Awards finalists on Friday. This occasion is always a huge success, but this year it is set to be the biggest and best yet, with 1,800 registrations received for what will be another fantastic day out.

It will also provide a great opportunity for older people to connect with a range of supports and services that are available for them. The Better Information for Seniors booklet will be among the resources available on the day, and this booklet follows on our government's election promise to provide seniors with more information to help them plan for their future, including retirement. The booklet covers topics such as career changes, financial matters, healthy living, volunteering, physical activity and concessions.

At the festival launch, I will also be announcing almost $400,000 in grants for seniors and Positive Ageing Development Grants, which will be distributed to 99 South Australian organisations and community groups across the state. In further support of our seniors and the festival, many government attractions open their doors to allow Seniors Card holders free entry. This year, 7 October will allow seniors free entry into museums, art galleries and national parks, to name a few. Together with the free travel on buses, trains and trams between nine and three, seniors can have a great day out without having to dip into their pocket.

The state government's support for South Australian seniors has never been stronger and neither has the community's. This year, right across the state, there are a record 205 festival partners hosting 1,350 events as part of the Every Generation Festival; that is 150 more partners and almost 1,250 more events than when the festival started in its current form eight years ago. A big thank you to everyone involved in this year's Every Generation Festival. I encourage South Australians of all ages to get out and about and enjoy everything this month has to offer.

Ms Chapman: They can't afford to pay their water bill.

The SPEAKER: Order!

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