Elder abuse action call

But Wilderness Society spokesman Vica Bayley said the group was far from convinced about the plan.

“We are highly sceptical and cynical about it to say the least,” he said.

“I’m not sure there are enough plantations in the area. There’s no appetite to embrace or support a project like this.”

Southwood Fibre hopes to get the proposal through the planning process within six months and then finish construction of the planned infrastructure in two years.

yesterday.

A LEADING expert on elder abuse has called on the Tasmanian parliament to pass laws protecting vulnerable adults.

Professor Wendy Lacey said elder abuse should be an election issue in the approaching state poll and called on the parties to develop policies.

Tasmania and South Australia have the fastest ageing populations in the country.

“I think we’ve got the most to gain by introducing new legislation and new policy frameworks,” the dean of University South Australia’s law school said. “Anyone ... whether it’s themselves experiencing abuse or witnessing (it) they need to be calling on their politicians to come up with a policy platform.

“What ultimately you would want to see is the next parliament of Tasmania introduce adult protection laws.”

Prof Lacey, the keynote speaker at yesterday’s Tasmania Law Reform Institute symposium on elder abuse, said it was a complex issue.

For instance, up to 80 per cent of cases involve the daughter or son being the perpetrator, so although victims want the abuse to stop they don’t want to lose their relationship.