Like many western democratic nations, Australia's population is ageing. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimates that by 2036, one quarter of the total Australian population will be over 65 years old (see ABS 3222.0 Population Projections, Australia, 2004-2101 (2006) which is almost double today's figure.
The Australian Government's series of Intergenerational Reports note that in the absence of action in this area, there will be a fiscal gap between government revenues and the government spending that will be required to support an ageing population.
How governments respond to the specific challenges and diverse opportunities presented by an ageing population is therefore critical to ensuring that older Australians are adequately supported as they age, and that Australian society adapts to an ageing population.
Local government believes that older Australians make a very significant contribution to the Australian community. For example, they are heavily involved in volunteer work and they comprise a significant proportion of the total number of volunteer carers in Australia. At the national level, ALGA is a member of the Ministerial Conference on Ageing (established in 2008), which is a Ministerial Council auspiced under the Council of Australian Governments.
Because of its closeness to the community, local government is in a unique position to recognise, understand and respond to the needs of a growing ageing population. Many local councils throughout Australia have developed or are developing local level plans that help respond to population ageing. Between 2004 and 2008, ALGA and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing entered into a partnership to assist local government to do this, under the Local Government Population Ageing Action Plan 2004-2008. This included the creation of a website resource for councils, Planning for an Ageing Community, and complemented the Australian Government's broader National strategy for an ageing Australia. The project expired in June 2008.
At the local level, local councils foster the well-being of older people in many ways, from flexible workplace policies to the provision of community transport facilities (where they are resourced to do so). Some of the services and infrastructure that councils provide (often in partnership either with the other two levels of government or the private sector) include:
- Community centres
- Community transport
- Food services and Meals on Wheels
- Respite care and aged care facilities
- Ageing policies and programs including social inclusion initiatives
- Assistance to the aged through the Home and Community Care program
- Older driver education
- Adaptable housing design
- Community infrastructure that is age-friendly (safe walking paths, recreational facilities, public library services including mobile library services to the home, street lighting, public toilet amenities)
For further information about local government and ageing population policy and initiatives, please contact:
Planning for an ageing community
Planning for an Ageing Community was funded as a separate website resource for councils under the Local Government Population Ageing Action Plan 2004-2008. The website resource was a valuable tool for councils because it showcased news, research, data, information and innovative practices to assist local government to plan for the ageing population. Because the project and associated funding ended in June 2008, the website resource is no longer maintained by ALGA and has not been updated since June 2008.
» Planning for an ageing community website
