Maintaining our parks and playing fields as a safe environment for all the Launceston people including Seniors should be an important part of Launceston City Council's activities.
I believe the council's traditional role of Council should be expanded to include a greater involvement in the delivery of local welfare services.
Local Government,particularly in a small community like Launceston is close to the community that it serves unlike other tiers of government, who are further removed from the grassroots battlers.
There are some families and individuals in Launceston who have not been provided for adequately by the Tasmanian and Australian Welfare Departments.
Council can provide an advocacy service for it's low income citizens through the employment of full time welfare advocates to be based at the Town Hall Service Centre.
An increased allocation should be provided to the Council's Community Assistance Programme
to allow for emergency relief payments.
Council ought to be well placed to empower local self help groups through the provision of office accommodation and secretarial support.
Councils Economic and Business Development Committees ought to be assisting people on
welfare into new enterprises.
Council rate remissions ought to be available to all people on low or fixed incomes.
Council must lobby other tiers of government for improved income security for it's ratepayers and residents on fixed incomes.
Physical Access for seniors and the physically challenged to buildings and shopping centres should be
continually monitored and improvements made as warranted.
Access to the council meetings should be provided for the housebound through the use of the internet or narrow cast radio / television channels.The provision of these broadcasting opportunities could be a project to be researched and managed by a team of retired persons.
Council's web site should be reviewed to ensure that it complies with world accessibility standards.
Independent Retirees should be encouraged to continue to participate in the life of the community through promotion of a senior's IT programme.
Those that have defended our country in war or served in peacetime must be allowed a
dignified retirement.
Nor shall we forget the dependants of service personnel.
Launceston City Council's advocacy and emergency relief service should provide support to the TPI vets in their campaign for a decent standard of living.
