On Monday this week, we had the pleasure of co-hosting a candidates’ forum in Orange with Ageing on the Edge. This event was well attended online and in-person, with good discussions and questions being posed about the challenges of ageing well in secure housing (following the October 2022 release of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry’s report into Homelessness Amongst Older People Aged Over 55).
Shelter’s submission and The Ageing on the Edge submission to the Inquiry can be found here.
We are especially thankful to Hon. Scott Barrett MLC, the chair of the abovementioned Inquiry, for attending in person to outline key findings and recommendations that have been made to State Government.
Ms Michelle Cook (pictured left), a Central West local with lived experience, made an impassioned speech about the various factors that lead to housing precarity for older women.
State candidates for the seat of Orange Ms Heather Dunn for Labor, Mr Tony Mileto for The Nationals, and the incumbent MP Mr Philip Donato were in attendance. There was general agreeance in the room that the housing crisis is real and is disproportionately impacting older people in the Central West.
If you are interested in accessing a recording of the session, it is available online here. For any questions about the outcomes of the event and what follow-up will occur with candidates and others, please contact Kayla Clanchy (kayla@shelternsw.org.au).