Intergenerational Issues: complexities that should not be ignored
This Hot Topic aims to stimulate debate about the intergenerational challenges and opportunities that will occur as our population ages. Intergenerational issues are most often couched in terms of intergenerational inequity, with the system being skewed towards older people at the expense of younger ones. This cuts across all aspects of our society from housing to higher education, climate change to communications policy and income support and employment. This has led to the misguided notion of older people being a burden on future generations.
The intergenerational implications of the demographic change and the policies in place to address the needs of an ageing population cannot be ignored. However there needs also to be more active consideration of the positive civic, economic and social contributions of older people to community and society.
This issue as a Hot Topic encourages discussion about how the debate can be reframed to look at both the challenges and the opportunities across all spheres of activity. It ensures the discussion looks beyond aged care and the ageing process and encourages debate around the nature of the society and the place of older people within it.
Events discussing this Hot Topic will be occurring throughout 2016 including State/Territory Division events and webinars. This will also be the theme of presentations of the 2016 Glenda Powell National Travelling Fellow.