21 July 2011

Older driver review in QLD

The Queensland Government has appointed a specialist advisory committee to examine the rules around older driver safety as part of a state-wide review.

The Older Driver Safety Advisory Committee was announced this month to review research relating to older drivers including crash statistics to provide evidence-based recommendations to government.

Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said while older drivers weren’t over-represented in crash statistics, the community needed to have confidence in the licensing rules surrounding older drivers.

“The number of drivers aged 75 and over, as a percentage of all drivers, has increased year on year over the past three years, but their involvement in fatal crashes has decreased during the same period,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Under Queensland laws, older drivers aged 75 and over are required to have a current medical certificate on them whenever they’re behind the wheel.

The government will consider all recommendations put forward to them later in the year including the possibility of annual medical tests for all drivers over 75 years.

National Seniors will be looking to participate in the review in a constructive way that balances the rights of older Queenslanders with the reality of public concern about deaths due to motor vehicles driven by people of all ages.

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New seniors’ housing centre in WA

The Western Australian government has announced that a new seniors’ housing centre will be developed in WA to offer advice to older Western Australians about all housing options available to them.

The proposed housing centre, expected to open in September, will offer information about the different types of housing options including retirement villages, villas and apartments, park homes and lifestyle villages.

They will offer information about general ownership, tenure and management structures for each of these different accommodation facilities.

The centre will also provide recommendations on where to obtain more detailed advice; a dispute resolution services for seniors in retirement style accommodation and a referral service for people who need disability support or aged care options.

The government said the centre will be dedicated to ensuring that seniors who are considering downsizing options are equipped with full information about the range of alternatives and issues to consider when making this important decision.

National Seniors welcomes the announcement of the new centre after advocating for many years now for more resources and information for seniors wishing to downsize.

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Age-friendly city survey

ACT residents aged 60 years and over are invited to participate in a survey about the age-friendliness of Canberra.

In December 2009 the ACT Government launched the ACT Strategic Plan for Positive Ageing 2010-2014: Towards an Age-Friendly City.

So that the ACT Government can know if the aims of the plan are being met, older Canberrans are being asked what they think about the current age-friendliness of Canberra.

An age-friendly city is one that facilitates a good quality of life as people age by enabling them to stay physically, mentally and socially active. This includes the provision of support services that are accessible and relevant to people’s actual needs.

The survey is being undertaken on behalf of the ACT Office for Ageing by the Australian National University’s Centre for Mental Health Research.

The survey closes 5 August 2011. To have your say, click here.

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Are we a selfish society?

This week the Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd announced the Government would provide $41.2million towards food relief efforts in the Horn of Africa as the region experiences its worst drought in 60 years.

More than 10 million people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda are facing severe food shortages as the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world unravels.

In the past few days, a phase 5 catastrophe/famine (highest rating possible) has been declared in the Horn of Africa with millions of people including women and children severely malnourished.

Some Australians believe $41.2 million is too much for our Government to spend as we need the money more here in Australia; whilst others believe we must do more to help.

Are we a selfish society? Should we and the rest of the international community give more?

Would you consider personally donating to the food reliefs efforts in Africa? Why or why not?

Have your say on the blog.