Rhonda Parker

Rhonda Parker

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    City of Albany has appointed WA's first Senior's Advisory Committee

    1/09/1999 9:32 AM
     
    1/9/99


      Seniors Minister Rhonda Parker has called on the State’s 144 Local Governments to follow the example of the City of Albany which has appointed the State’s first Seniors Advisory Committee.

      The 11-member committee consisting of representatives of council, seniors services agencies and community groups as well as seniors from the community, will advise the council on issues affecting seniors.

      “This will allow seniors to have a direct input into council decisions that affect the increasing number of older person such as support services, health, the design of buildings and open space, transport and security,” Mrs Parker said.

      “In this year’s International Year of Older Persons, it is a practical step to make Albany a ‘City for All Ages’ in line with the State’s theme for the year of ‘A Western Australian for All Ages’.”

      Albany has a higher than average proportion of seniors with 21 per cent of the city’s population seniors, that is aged 60 or more, compared with the State average of 14 per cent.

      “Those percentages will only increase as the State faces the biggest demographic change of our time – the ageing of the population where, by the year 2025, the number of people aged 60 or more will for the first time exceed the number aged 18 or less.

      “We will only be able to meet the demands of our ageing population if we start planning now and that planning is particularly important for local government, which is the level of government that is closest to the people.”

      Media contact: Owen Cole 9481 7810