Positive ageing panel complete

The federal government announced the full membership of the Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing last Friday.

The permanent Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing is a key element of the federal government’s response to the final report of the Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians, Realising the economic potential of senior Australians: turning grey into gold.

The Advisory Panel will provide advice to government, ensuring the industry and governments can position Australia to benefit from a larger and more active senior population.

The members of the Panel are:

• Everald Compton AM (Chairman); served as Chairman of the Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians (EPSA).
• Professor Gill Lewin; Professor of Ageing at the Centre for Research on Ageing at Curtin University of Technology.
• Professor Brian Howe AO; former Deputy Prime Minister, Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne and member of the EPSA Panel.
• The Hon Susan Ryan AO; Australia’s first Age Discrimination Commissioner and a member of Consultative Forum on Mature Age Participation.
• Neville Roach AO; Chairman of the Advisory Board of Tata Consultancy Services in Australia and New Zealand.

Chair of the Panel, Mr Compton AM, said: “The Panel is committed to the task of providing seniors with the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the economic and social life of Australia, by ensuring the ageing of the population is seen as an asset; not a liability.”

The Panel will raise awareness and lead a national dialogue on ageing issues, including how best to harness the economic and social opportunities presented by an older population.

It will also provide feedback to government on ageing issues and comment on policy design across government on relevant matters to senior Australians, and conduct targeted consultation with key stakeholders – in particular the business community – on ways the government and community can increase the economic and social participation of senior Australians.

The Panel will next year work on housing, lifelong learning, mature age employment, volunteering, philanthropy and seniors and the digital revolution.

Those interested in the Panel’s work or consultations can contact the secretariat at positive.ageing@treasury.gov.au