Dear OWN Members and Supporters,

November heralds jacaranda time in Sydney and across NSW. Purple flourishes dot the landscape and tourists are now flocking to jacaranda lined streets to enjoy the display.

The bushfires of the last two weeks have wreaked havoc, taking lives, destroying homes and property. Sydney experienced its first 'Catastrophic' fire rating. It's a warning to have a fire plan especially if you live in or near a bushfire prone area. If you are wondering how you can lend a hand to people in bushfire affected areas, a number of funds have been established to support those affected. Those recommended by the RFS include.

• Australian Red Cross Disaster Recovery and Relief
• Salvation Army Disaster Appeal
• NSW RFS Donations Page
• Make an online donation to the NSW RFS Trust Fund or a participating brigade
• Blazeaid
• Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

OWN NSW continues our work on issues which affect older women. We are a member of the organising committee of Ageing on the Edge NSW which held a forum on November 14th to decide the coalition's work priorities. It was agreed that we should aim to draft a Housing Strategy for Older People, and work on the specific goal of advocating for a specialist housing service for older people. We also hosted the screening of 'Gen Silent' at the Australian Association of Gerontology's Annual Conference to promote the inclusion of older LGBTQI in aged care. 

Until the next issue of dOWNtime, stay well, and keep healthy.

Interfaces between the aged care and the health care system

The next hearing will be held in Canberra from the 9 – 13 December and will inquire into interfaces between the aged care system and the health care system, including both Commonwealth and state/territory programs. It will examine whether older people, particularly those living in residential aged care facilities, are able to access the health services they need as they age.

Further information is available on the Canberra Hearing page.

2019 City of Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award Ceremony

OWN NSW attended the Sydney Peace Prize last Thursday to honour the #MeToo Movement, the global women-led movement of solidarity with survivors of sexual violence and harassment.

The movement's founder, Tarana Burke, and Australian #MeToo leader, Tracey Spicer, received the Prize on behalf of the movement. Tarana Burke delivered the Peace Prize Lecture and spoke of sexual harassment and violence against women as a public health crisis.

We heard some sobering figures about violence and harassment against women from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background from Antoinette Braybrook, the CEO of Djirra (formerly the Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service Victoria).

The event also featured a conversation between Tracey Spicer and Tarana Burke, an address by The Hon.Tanya Plibersek MP, a musical performance by Sarah Blasko and the awarding of the Prize by Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

• homelessness for women over 55 has grown by 31% since 2011;
• 75% of part-time workers in Australia are women;
• older single women may be forced out the workforce early, have insufficient superannuation or savings to fund the cost of living, face discrimination in the housing market, experience the death of an income earning spouse, poor health or serious illness; and
• 80% of women do not report domestic abuse due to lack of services.

You are invited to attend an Information Session to find out more about the many benefits of becoming a Nurture-Carer, Advocate or Volunteer.

OWN NSW is supporting The Equanimity Project.
 
For more information or to put yourself on the list to be notified on the upcoming sessions, please email: connect@theequanimityproject.org or call Karen on 0418 977 322.             

Women should have the right to safety in their own homes. And yet, right now, for many Australian women, their homes are the most dangerous place they could be - with one woman a week being killed at the hands of her partner or ex-partner, eight women a week being hospitalised, and over 5,000 women per week relying upon police intervention for safety.

The peak body, Women's Safety NSW, has been told there is “no money” to support current funding levels. This could lead to a silencing of women’s voices on addressing violence against women. Please take 1 minute to let the NSW Government know women’s voices are vital in addressing this critical issue.

‪Make sure you actually sign it so your local MP and Ministers get the message!
Click on the link HERE. ‬

The government's Mental Health Draft Report was released on 31 October 2019.  We encourage our members and supporters to send their feedback. Submissions are invited by Thursday 23 January 2020. 
Read the draft report overview here.
Make a submission or a brief comment here.
Watch the video here.

Creating a Healthy Ageing Strategy

The population of the Inner West is living longer than ever before. By 2026, the Inner West is projected to grow by 13% to 216,917 people. In this time, the number of people 65 years and over will increase by 6,669 or 29%.

To prepare for the changing needs of its ageing population, Inner West Council is developing a 10-year Healthy Ageing Strategy. Have your say here. It's a simple survey which asks for your opinion on a variety of matters like accessible transport.