Ageism
COTA NT campaigns against age discrimination and works to reframe the prevailing narrative around ageing as a burden to an opportunity.
COTA NT takes a leading leading position in age discrimination with its own positive staffing policy and tackles three key aspects of ageism in its lobbying to government, collaborations and media:
- Prejudicial attitudes towards older people, including some attitudes held by older people themselves
- Discriminatory practices against older people, for instance in employment, insurance or health care
- Institutional practices, policies and behaviours that perpetuate negative stereotypes and undermine dignity – including language and representation in the media and cultural settings.
Reference
EveryAGE Counts – Read more about COTA NT’s collaboration with EveryAGE Counts, a national advocacy campaign aimed at tackling ageism. Read > Tackling ageism with EveryAGE Counts
COTA NT Survey Is the Territory Age-Friendly? 2022-2023 The primary purposes of this survey were to raise awareness of ageism and to promote thought and discussion about ageing, provide information about ageism research and identifying whether seniors Territorians felt the Territory was ‘age-friendly’. Topics in this survey included: experience of ageism, what, where and how has ageism been experienced, thoughts on age and getting older, media portrayal of ageing, recommendations for change. Read > Is the Territory Age Friendly Survey Findings 2022
2021 WHO Global Report on Ageism right at home in Australia – COTA Australia
2018 National Policy COTA’s strategic policies and focus on ageism
COTA NT Age Friendly Communities Training Package – In 2014, COTA NT undertook a project to work with local government across the Northern Territory (NT) to bring about a better understanding of an ageing population and what that means at local government level in terms of planning and policies for the implementation of Age-friendly Communities. It developed a training package for use by the NT local government authorities, the private sector, community organisations and other groups on all matters of relevance to senior Territorians. An Age Friendly Community is defined as a community that adapts its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities. The training documentation drew from resources including the World Health Organisation (WHO) Age-friendly Cities: A Guide (WHO Guide), documentation from other interstate COTA state offices, and most importantly from focus group meetings. Access > COTA NT Age Friendly Communities Training Package
Page updated 9 February 2026
