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Dr Marlene Krasovitsky is a spokesperson for the EveryAGE Counts Campaign (the national campaign against Ageism).
Robert Fitzgerald AM is Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner.
They'll explain what ageism is and the extent of its adverse impact on the lives of Australians. They will outline the part we can all play to chart a course for Australia where people of all ages are valued and respected and their contributions are acknowledged.
The campaign against ageism is striving for a world where older people can participate on equal terms with others in all aspects of life.
Ageism is stereotyping, discrimination and mistreatment of people based solely on their age. Ageism directed towards older people imposes a substantial cost to the Australian economy, impacts on productivity and damages the health and wellbeing of older Australians from all walks of life.
The problem is real and has devastating impacts. For example, surveys by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Human Resources Institute have revealed that age discrimination in employment begins much earlier than many people think with a high percentage of employers revealing a reluctance to employ people over 50. One in six organisations will not consider hiring people aged 65 and just over half are interested to a large extent in employing people over 50.
Ageism also has adverse impacts in many other sectors of the economy and the community including in aged care, health care and in the everyday life of older Australians. Ageism is a barrier to ageing well and the World Health Organisation has recognised that the damaging impact of ageism can shorten life spans by up to 7.5 years.
Ageism diminishes the dignity and respect for older people and so contributes to the increasing level of elder abuse in Australia including by their own family members.