Panel appointed to advise on potential of seniors
The Gillard Government has announced the membership of the Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians to help Australia best respond to the opportunities presented by a larger and more active community of seniors.
The Panel will examine how we can best harness the life experiences and intellectual capital of the older members of our community to ensure this potential is considered in a range of policy debates.
The Government has asked the Panel to consider a number of specific policy areas during its deliberations:
• Opportunities created by the National Broadband Network for senior Australians to stay connected to their communities
• Opportunities for senior Australians to get involved in activities to preserve our environment and help tackle climate change
• Priority areas for consideration by the new Commissioner for Age Discrimination to help foster positive attitudes towards senior Australians across the community
• Improving workforce participation and investing in the skills of senior Australians to help businesses and community groups tap into an active and engaged talent pool of senior Australians
• Opportunities for businesses and community groups to provide a wider range of recreational and preventative health services that meet senior Australians’ interests and support healthy and active lifestyles
• Creating new avenues to volunteer by supporting the networks and systems that can match the skills and abilities of a growing pool of senior Australians with community needs
• Supporting seniors-friendly housing by influencing planning, design and construction decisions to take advantage of the opportunities presented by demographic change
• Helping senior Australians make well-informed decisions and plan ahead for life’s transitions.
The Panel will produce a series of reports to the Government in the second half of 2011 and its work will be assisted by a secretariat established in the Treasury and supported by the Department of Health and Ageing.
The Panel’s first meeting will be in Adelaide on Wednesday, 4 May 2011 and there will also be a number of forums where members of the public will be invited, through their membership of some of the major peak representative bodies for seniors, to meet with the Panel and share their views.
Interested parties are also invited to send any ideas or submissions to the secretariat, which can be fed into the Panel’s deliberations.
For more information, go to the Panel’s website at http://www.treasury.gov.au/EPSA/content/default.asp
