Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In my electorate of Fisher, we have a large number of older Australians. With the fantastic lifestyle and facilities offered by the coast, people from all over the country, indeed from all over the world, choose to spend their retirement enjoying our beaches and our hinterland. Almost half of the people living in my community are over the age of 55. Aged care is an important issue for a great many people in Fisher, and it is therefore an issue of critical importance to me. My electorate is full of active and empowered seniors. That is one of the reasons I have initiated my Fisher Seniors' Forum, through which I have learned that the experience of getting older has changed, on the Sunshine Coast and all over Australia.

Improvements in modern medicine and healthier lifestyles mean that older people are more independent, self-sufficient and active for longer than they have ever been before. Just in March this year, Jean Le Brocq, from my electorate, described in our local newspaper as the 'party girl from Kawana', turned 100. A former patroness of the local bowls club, Jean still plays indoor bowls and has no intention of slowing down. As her niece Estelle says, 'Whatever is happening, she'll be in on it.'

Life expectancy is rising. On the current trends, future generations can expect to still be going strong at 100 years old, like Elsie Brown. This demographic shift presents us with a challenge in terms of the sustainability of our aged-care system. The generations that are now retiring also bring new expectations of the services they receive. Those born as part of the baby boomer generation and since are used to products and services that are tailored to them as individuals. They expect to be able to make their own decisions about their aged care, just as they have been able to make their own choices about services throughout their lives.

The coalition government responded to those changes and has consistently acted to increase choice and to support sustainable, high-quality provision of aged-care services. In 2015, the government expanded—sorry, excuse me, Deputy Speaker. You've got to love technology, don't you!

See this speech in context