Don’t help elderly Victorians, council says
Elderly people will be left to fend for themselves on Melbourne streets after the city’s council has banned parking officers from helping them with non-parking matters. The new set of strict guidelines restricts officers from advising elderly people, as well as those with mobility problems and vision-impaired, on places to eat or drink.
Elderly people will be left to fend for themselves on Melbourne streets after the city’s council has banned parking officers from helping them with non-parking matters.
The new set of strict guidelines restricts officers from advising elderly people, as well as those with mobility problems and vision-impaired, on places to eat or drink.
Officers have been reportedly ordered to spend 95% of their time detecting and issuing parking fine and just 5% on customer service, including answering questions about new parking technology in the city and directing people to Melbourne attractions and locations.
Victoria’s Council on the Ageing chief executive, Sue Hendy, tells DPS News she hopes the officer would “use their discretion in making the right choice to assist if needed”.
“Clearly there is a job to be done, but if someone, old or not, needs assistance…it would be outrageous if someone was really in need and they were not assisted. That would be a very backward step in our society,” she says.
“While I can understand that they can’t answer all general questions, as they would not then be parking officers, but if someone really needed help, I hope they would not just walk past orand? ignore them.
“If they are constantly being asked information questions, then maybe it points to more ‘Red Information people’ being out and about,” she suggests.
The Age reports parking officers are being “threatened” with counselling if they do not produce an average of six to eight parking infringements an hour.
However, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle reportedly told the newspaper he supports 99% of the new rules, acknowledging he cannot defend the ban on helping elderly, mobility and vision impaired people.
‘‘I think you’ve got to use some common sense and be reasonable,’’ told radio station 3AW last week.
‘‘Reading it myself … it does look pretty blunt and bald and pretty heartless to me but I don’t think that’s the intention,’’ he says.
There are reportedly 500 volunteers in the city helping people with directions and customer service, and 65 parking officers, including part-time officers.
