Population Ageing in Northern Australia: Seniors’ Voices on Ageing in Place

Abstract

Similar to most northern developed jurisdictions, Northern Australia has perennially featured a youthful population composition due to a high Indigenous composition and a young non-Indigenous population for whom migration flows are concentrated in young ages. However, demographic precursors are now in place that will bring about relatively rapid and proportionally substantial population ageing in the population of the north of Australia, as has occurred elsewhere. More seniors will bring many opportunities from the social, economic and other capital they provide. Seniors will balance population compositions towards a less male dominated and less youthful structure, helping to reduce high rates of turnover. Nevertheless, there will be challenges and governments for northern Australian jurisdictions will, in coming decades, face structural shifts in population profiles and the economy. To date, ageing in the north has received little in the way of policy attention, but planning for the needs of seniors and their communities must be forthcoming. This paper reports on the causes and consequences of these circumstances and provides research insights from soon-to-be and existing seniors on their hopes and concerns around 'ageing in place' in the north. We then ponder what governments might do to maximise potential benefits in the face of this significant demographic and social change. While delayed ageing in the north affords governments at all levels with opportunities to learn from the experiences, policies and programs of other areas, concerted consultation with seniors is necessary to deliver optimal support and community benefit for those who wish to 'age in place' in the north.

Determinants of resilience for people ageing in remote places: a case study in northern Australia

“…About half of these people live in sparsely populated regions, with a population density approximately 0.2 persons per square kilometre (Taylor & Payer 2017).…”

“…The population of residents aged 65 years and over is projected to grow from 13,000 in 2011 to 46,000 by 2041. The very old population (those 85 years and over) is projected to grow from just under 2000 residents in 2011 to just under 14,000 residents in 2041 (Taylor & Payer 2017).…”

“…Fiest 2016;Rogers et al 2015;Taylor & Payer 2017;Winterton & Warburton 2014, very little has been done to directly understand the experience of growing older in the remote (or very remote) north. There are several possible reasons for this, such as cost and accessibility considerations in conducting research in these areas.…”

“…Ageing in many rural communities is supported by an immense willingness of older people to participate as volunteers to supplement services that are not there (Gjertsen et al 2016;Rozanova et al 2008;Taylor & Payer 2017). In many of these reported cases, the volunteer work of retirees has served to reinvigorate the community economically and socially.…”

Age-Friendly Environments in ASEAN Plus Three: Case Studies from Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand

“…Several previous researchers in the United States also studied developing age-friendliness towards the older population such as improving the workforce in the field of aging [10,11], strengthening social capital such as social connectivity associated with the older population's health benefits [12,13], and integrating research into a policy and planning agenda such as offering a policy to improve the physical and social environments for seniors [14][15][16]. In addition to Europe and America, many Australian researchers conducted studies regarding age-friendliness to promote quality of life towards Australian adults such as assessing the impact of political, physical, social, and research dimensions to implement 'ageing in place' in Australia [17][18][19][20].…”