Ensuring public places—like parks, footpaths, shopping areas, and community buildings—are safe, clean, and easy to access for people of all ages and abilities.

Achievements:

• Ongoing activation of Seniors Exercise Parks at Mt Pleasant and planning/delivery of additional parks, including a new park in Lucas (launched in September 2025)
• Ensured age friendly and universal design considerations were included in major planning, design and infrastructure strategies, action plans, guidelines, planning, and advocacy across the organisation to ensure the needs of our older population are represented, including sharing of our over 55s data profile and our age friendly approaches to inform decision making.
• This included strategies, action plans and guidelines such as:
  • Community Infrastructure Design Guidelines
  • Housing Strategy
  • Social & Affordable Housing Action Plan
  • Public Toilet Strategy
  • Biodiversity, Open Space and Footpath Strategies
  • Inclusion & Inclusive Language and Design Guidelines
  • Upgrades to City Oval and planning for Eastwood Leisure Centre and Sebastopol Community Hub

Providing affordable, reliable, and accessible transport options so older people can stay mobile, independent, and connected to community life.

Achievements:

• Delivered multiple mobility and safety education programs including Wiser Driver Courses, Safer Driver Sessions, Motorised Mobility device sessions, and Walk with Care and Safer Cyclists courses (partnering with Road Safe Central Highlands)
• Supported accessible public transport use by delivering BusAble and Try Before You Ride sessions, to help build community confidence in catching public transport (partnering with V-line and CDC buses)
• Delivered a pilot program focused on practical transport skills for older Chinese residents.
• Developed a Transport Guide for Older Adults (print + digital)
• Undertook a consultant led Ageing Well in Ballarat Transport Study to enhance Council understanding of transport needs of older adults to informs advocacy efforts and future projects.

Offering housing choices that are affordable, safe, and designed to support people as their needs change, enabling them to remain in their communities longer.

Achievements:

• Contributed to the Housing Strategy, ensuring Ageing in Place principles and older people’s needs were embedded.
• Built strong partnerships with Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), CatholicCare, Wintringham, CAFS, and Uniting Ballarat to support older residents, improve referral pathways, and raise awareness of homelessness risk and housing options.
• Hosted housing focused sessions, including HAAG keynote presentations at the 2025 Ageing Well Expo.

Creating opportunities for older people to take part in social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities that reduce isolation and support wellbeing.

Achievements:

• Delivered a comprehensive Social Activities Program, offering weekly exercise classes such as QiGong, Tai Chi, Pilates, Dance, Strength for Seniors, Movement Matters, and other social activities including monthly Film & Cuppa, and bus trips. Participation doubled to 5700+ in 2024–25.
• Expanded program reach across Ballarat and surrounding communities (Sebastopol, Alfredton, Miners Rest, Burrumbeet, Ascot and more).
• Delivered highly successful Seniors Festivals: 3,400 attendees in 2023 and 6,500+ attendees across 74 events in 2024
• Hosted community mini‑expos and “Community Day” events to increase connection and access to services.
• Sought community feedback via a Social activity review survey in 2025 to inform future programming.

Promoting attitudes, policies, and community practices that value older people, challenge ageism, and encourage intergenerational connection

Achievements:

• Delivered Seniors Awards annually, expanding categories in 2024 to include Lifetime Achievement and Community Teamwork Awards
• Strong, ongoing focus on tackling ageism through EveryAGE Counts campaigns, community Every Age Matters roadshows, elder abuse awareness events and workplace ageism initiatives
• Extensive intergenerational programs, including creative and story writing competitions, story time events, weaving workshops, school partnerships, and collaborations during Children’s Week and Pride Month, youth–aged care visits and environmental arts collaborations.
• Increased cultural and LGBTIQA+ inclusion through groups such as Ageing with Pride, Rainbow Coffee, multicultural film programs and dementia friendly partnerships.
• Delivered #theBiscuitTin project in Ballarat and created our Older Women’s recipes for Respect Ballarat book.

Supporting older people who want to work, volunteer, lead, or contribute their skills and knowledge to community decision‑making.

Achievements:

• Provided governance, training and engagement support to community groups, including targeted programs for Senior Citizens Clubs (via Ballarat East Neighbourhood House).
• Partnered with Libraries and community partners to deliver programs on financial wellbeing, digital literacy, scam awareness, retirement planning, and civic literacy.
• Developed and launched the Age‑Friendly Ambassadors Program in 2025 to strengthen older residents’ involvement in shaping age‑friendly initiatives.
• Created a new Social Activities Volunteers Program to support Exercise Parks and social activity delivery.

Ensuring information is accessible, timely, and provided in formats that everyone can understand—digital and non‑digital

Achievements:

• Undertook extensive engagement of over 55s population to seek their views on communication needs and preferences.
• Significant focus on extending reach to connect with more of our over 55s community in Ballarat
• Established the Ageing Well in Ballarat webpage and internal community directory, with 170+ entries for staff reference.
• Launched Ageing Well Ballarat Facebook page, growing significantly since September 2024.
• Introduced monthly Voice FM radio segment
• Expanded subscriptions to the Ageing Well newsletter to 1508 subscribers (40% growth) – subscriptions can be online via email or hard copy to mailboxes. Currently 81% have opted for digital and 19% hard copy.
• Delivered information sessions on transport, housing, financial wellbeing, digital literacy and aged‑care navigation.

Making sure local services are accessible, coordinated, and responsive to help older people maintain health, independence, and quality of life.

Achievements:

• Successfully transitioned CHSP clients to new providers (2022–23) and Regional Assessment Service to new single assessment system and then new assessment organisations (2024).
• Expanded the Community Connector Service, delivering 2008 interactions in 2024–25 (60% increase).
• Delivered the first Ageing Well Expo (March 2025): 56 agencies, 439 attendees, strong presentation engagement.
• Strong capacity building focus and advocacy work during Commonwealth aged‑care reforms, ensuring residents have access to assessments, information, and complaints pathways and they can make informed decisions to live their lives as they choose.

Our council is committed to becoming an age friendly city by leading and advocating for our community to enable positive and healthy ageing for all.

Achievements:

• Successfully joined the WHO Global Network for Age‑Friendly Cities & Communities in August 2024.
• Represented Ballarat at national and international age‑friendly forums and conferences (e.g., GNAFCC, Australian Association of Gerontologists).
• Developed an Age‑Friendly Indicators framework for Ballarat and the Older‑Adults Data Profile to drive evidence‑based planning.
• Established and expanded the regional Age‑Friendly Partnership Network with surrounding LGAs