Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we approach Christmas, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of seniors within my electorate of Flinders and to point to some of their risks and vulnerabilities and the options available to them. There are over 32,000 people over the age of 60 in the electorate of Flinders. They make up a very high proportion of the electorate; in parts of the Mornington Peninsula—Dromana, Rosebud, Rye—the number is extremely high. These seniors have made an enormous contribution to Australia, so in their retirement they should be able to look not just to the government but also to the community for support.

I recognise a series of risks that many seniors on the Mornington Peninsula may face. Firstly, there is the risk of financial pressures, and that is a risk not just for seniors but also for families in isolated areas, particularly any that have a connection to the land, given that the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port have had their worst seven months of rainfall on record, according to the most recent figures from the Bureau of Meteorology. The second risk, for the many seniors who have lost a partner or are otherwise single, is the problem of loneliness. Loneliness at this time can be significant, real and powerful and it can eat away at individuals. It can be incredibly debilitating emotionally, physically and even psychologically. These things can come together and it can be a dark, bleak time, despite the beauty of summer on the Mornington Peninsula.

Against that background, I want to encourage those people who may be suffering, whether financially or from loneliness and isolation, to seek assistance from some of the wonderful groups that we have on the peninsula who work with the disadvantaged, the poor and those who may have fallen inadvertently on hard times. In the Rosebud area, there is the magnificent Food for All, with the work of Diane Falconer, the Reverend Murray Morton and everyone else involved. They provide assistance in the lead-up to Christmas and at other times throughout the year.

Vinnies Kitchen, through Gil Mulling and the others involved with that, have provided low-income families and low-income seniors in the Rosebud-Rye-Dromana area with a constant supply of food throughout the year—hot meals guaranteed on the Rosebud foreshore. They do a tremendous job. If there are people in need, they should feel free to approach Vinnies Kitchen. They treat everybody with a great deal of respect and a great deal of gentle compassion.

Similarly, everybody involved at the Rosebud Senior Citizens Police Register does a tremendous job. They have over 4,000 people on the register. They do a series of things to help folks. They were established over 12 years ago. They are one of the largest senior citizens police registers in the state. They do things such as telephone all clients once a month as a courtesy call, make regular home visits, undertake security audits, send out newsletters three times a year and organise social events. They do a tremendous job and are a great point of networking and camaraderie for many seniors.

In addition, the Southern Peninsula Community Support and Information Service does a tremendous job in helping to provide support and comfort for residents on the southern peninsula who need it. I thank all of these groups. I similarly thank the Hastings Community Support and Information Service, sometimes known as the Hastings centre, which is run by Trudy Molloy and deals more with low-income families than with seniors; the Hastings Senior Citizens Police Register, which does a similar job to its counterpart in Rosebud and does it tremendously well; and the Hastings RSL, which is a very important point of connection—as is the Crib Point RSL—for veterans, who are in significant numbers in that part of the peninsula. It provides a strong base, a warm home and good information. I acknowledge all of those who are in need and I commend and thank all of those groups that help those in need on the peninsula. (Time expired)