Speeches
Monday, 22 July 2024
Australian Elder Abuse Conference
As patrons of the Aged Rights Advocacy Service, my husband Rod and I are pleased to join you at this reception to welcome delegates attending the Australian Elder Abuse Conference to Adelaide.
We especially welcome those of you who have travelled from interstate.
I trust you have enjoyed the first day of the conference, shaping your thinking in relation to your work in research, support services, government, as volunteers, or in your roles as older members of our community.
Approximately 16 percent of Australians are aged 65 and over – approximately 4.2 million people – and this number is projected to rise to 23 percent by 2060.
Australians deserve to be treated with respect and care at all ages, whether they reside in the family home, residential aged care or an aged care facility.
The National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study, the largest study to date into elder abuse in Australia, suggests that approximately one in six older Australians experience elder abuse in a given year.
Evidence also suggests that most abuse of older people is intra-familial and intergenerational, making this a challenging and complex issue to address.
Last month I hosted a public conversation at Government House on Ageing Well with guests the Hon Dr Kay Patterson and Anne Burgess.
Both Kay and Anne are inspiring examples of people who have made outstanding contributions to supporting and protecting older Australians and combatting stereotypes and stigma about ageing.
In this conversation, the examples Kay gave of the elder abuse she encountered as Commissioner were sobering, and no doubt you encounter them yourselves, either directly or indirectly, through your work.
Ageism is a prevailing force in our community and, as Governor, I join you in working to overcome its impacts in our community.
On a positive note, it is heartening to see ageism and elder abuse starting to receive the attention they deserve in the media (the ABC’s Insiders program yesterday, for example) and our general discourse as a society.
Even television programs like Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, currently airing on the ABC, go a long way to shifting community attitudes towards ageing and supporting good care and treatment of Australians in their senior years.
As Governor it is also my privilege to engage with indigenous communities across South Australia, and to see examples of elders being treated with respect and valued for their wisdom.
Our communities have much to learn from each other.
I am pleased to see your conference theme, ‘Turn Up the Volume!’, encouraging us all to support older people and share our voices to help end ageism, abuse and neglect.
Elder abuse, and other types of abuse, rely on secrecy.
I thank you all for bringing this issue into the open through discussion, and for advocating for change at all levels of our community.
I trust you will gain considerable knowledge and ideas from this conference on topics relating to breaking down stereotypes and embracing diversity, protecting people from financial abuse, addressing homelessness, living with dementia and more.
I thank Elder Abuse Action Australia and the Aged Rights Advocacy Service for coming together to create and run this event.
I wish you a productive conference and the prospect of real progress as we work toward a society where all older Australians are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.