Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the pleasure of hosting the Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Indigenous Health in Bonner. There were many important visits and announcements on the day. I want to focus on two special events that were particularly significant for my older constituents. The first event was a seniors forum that I hosted in Mt Gravatt. It was another great turnout. Over 70 Bonner locals attended. The minister's news of our record $5 billion investment in aged care and the extra 20,000 home care places that we're providing was very well received. Wishart local Muriel Mitchell said she learnt a lot of useful information about residential and home care. She feels a lot more confident about her options to look after her husband at home for longer.

Carindale local Paul Williams brought his father, Victor, along to hear what the minister had to say. They appreciated the minister's passion for finding new ways to improve aged-care services. They also appreciated the range of stallholders at the forum, which included My Aged Care and Brisbane South PHN. The minister also spoke about how we're investing over $100 million in mental health funding for older Australians. This is the largest ever single increase to mental health funding for older Australians. I'm proud to be part of a government that is delivering for older residents in Bonner.

The second event was a meeting with a local Wynnum group that is doing great things for people living with dementia. The Dementia Awareness Advocacy Team is a wonderful group of people that are striving for a more dementia-friendly community. It advocates for people living with dementia and their care partners. It aims to raise awareness of dementia and reduce the stigma and stereotyping of this condition. The team provides dementia awareness training that has benefited many local businesses, including my own office. This training gives people a thorough understanding of what dementia is and how to relate to people living with dementia. It is a fantastic initiative, and I thank them for their great work.

I'm also pleased to see $5.3 million in the budget for dementia innovation, which will benefit people living with dementia. I thank the minister again for his visit and for speaking with my local constituents about their experiences with aged-care and mental health support.