Released on 6 August, The Northern Territory (NT) Seniors Policy 2021-26 acknowledges active ageing and age-friendly communities where all Territorians recognise and respond proactively to our growing senior population, and support our seniors’ independence and wellbeing.

The NT will experience the fastest growing population of seniors 65 years of age and over in Australia over the life of this policy, and the demand for services will continue to expand.

Over the next five years, four priority areas and a range of actions have been outlined to provide future directions to address the demands of our ageing population, helping older people remain in the workforce, while providing a range of services to support the increased cost of living.

The NT Government’s main priority areas for seniors are:

• economic participation and financial security
• safety and security
• health and wellbeing
• social inclusion and diversity.

The NT Government values and protects the rights of seniors, ensuring information is easy to understand, and accessible and translated where possible.

The NT Seniors Policy 2021-2026 PDF (3.5 MB) also aims to improve and simplify access to the NT Concession Scheme and NT Seniors Recognition Scheme for eligible members, specifically seniors living in remote areas and people on temporary visas who have a Medicare card.