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| Virtual Tour Sydney 1998 IWD |
Betty Johnson Will speak on behalf of the Pensioners and Superannuation Federation, a non partisanpeak organisation run by and for older people, providing information services and links to government organisations throughout Australia.
Particularly I want to talk about that way in which some of the cut backs the Federal Governments been doing and how they have been impinging on the lives of older women and that is particularly in the area of cutting down our organisation for the pensioners and superannuants, they have cut our funding out because we dared to tell the truth about what’s happening about aged care and what’s happening as far as older women and older people are concerned. This has been a very serious thing to us because we rely on them to be a national voice for us, that’s got some credibility with everybody, it’s a long standing sixty year old organisation that in fact is recognised as a peak body and speaks particularly on behalf of low income older people and who set up the Older Women’s Network Nationally. We have not been silenced, not yet and certainly older women won’t be silenced but one of the things I wanted particularly to do is to say to all of you ageing is not a thing to dread and ageing is something we should all welcome it is a great time of life and there are good things to be done in it and we want our independence the same as all women of all ages want their independence. But what we should be doing is working together for it but what we are seeing at the moment is the Government and the media trying to put a wedge between us by saying that there are only limited resources and who is going to get them. That if older women get it they younger women won’t have it and that is ridiculous. There is enough resources for all of it, all we need is for Governments to give it to them, they could give it to us if they wanted to fight a war why can’t they give it to us now for our quality of life that we deserve and have a right to. And what I wanted to say to you young women, we should be working together not take any notice of somebody that says we take your resources because if they don’t help us to maintain our independence it will cost them more, and it will cost us dearly and it will cost you because where we are today you will be tomorrow hopefully. So it is something that effects us all. But the last thing I want to say is that next year is International Year of Older Persons and there is a terrible disgrace that this country has got that hasn’t been mentioned today and I am talking about our Aboriginal Sisters and Brothers, they do not expect to live as long as we and that is just outrageous I could cry at the thought of it and next year with the focus on older persons what we need to be doing is working together for all of our sakes but particularly for the sake of Aboriginal people so that governments do something about this dreadful social and economic situation that means that aboriginal people can’t live to be as old as the rest of us. So with that plea to say let’s be united lets work together and lets enjoy life. Thank you |
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Tour 96 | Tour
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Thank you due to the
fact that we are running a bit late, I am going to be
very quick and make a few of the points I want to make,
because the Older
Women’s Network who are
going to follow me, will say a lot of the things I would
have said in a way that much more entertaining and
interesting.