Seniors Forum

I recently caught up with dozens of seniors from Leonay, Emu Plains, Emu Heights and the lower Blue Mountains at my seniors forum. It was held at Emu Sports Club, and I was delighted to have the Assistant Minister for Ageing and Social Security, Kate Thwaites, join me as we discussed everything from aged-care reforms to supporting people to stay longer in their own homes, through to pensions and the challenges of being a self-funded retiree, the seniors healthcare card, housing challenges in the home equity scheme, and other supports available through Services Australia. I thank everyone who gave up their time. While I am incredibly proud of the changes that we've made, I know there's more to do as we reform systems so older people are treated with the dignity and the respect that they deserve. Getting residential care right is also a big priority for the Albanese government, with new standards of care and quality already in place, and additional wages for the ever-caring workers.

The assistant minister and I visited the Uniting Care residential facility in Emu Plains—Edinglassie which has a four-star My Aged Care rating. We spoke with the ladies doing word games, who proved to be quicker at those word puzzles than we were, and chatted over afternoon tea. I got to see beautiful grandchildren—it was a pleasure to visit.