GOVERNING OLDER AUSTRALIANS? MOBILITY AND THE HUMANITY OF ?GETTING ABOUT? SAFELY

What ideas facilitate or contain policy? This paper establishes a context for the development of policy in relation to older person?s mobility in Australia. The paper outlines ideas which represent the collective thinking of Australians and others about the government of people. In general such thinking is described as, neo-liberal or post-welfare state thinking and some detail is presented in relation to it. It is within this established context that policy is most likely to develop which will govern older persons? safe mobility. A number of South Australian and Australian Commonwealth government policy documents which relate to older Australians are analysed in order to determine the extent to which the ideas contained in them are congruent with Australian neo-liberal or post-welfare state ideas. It is then argued that mobility is a preferred broad focus for policy in relation to older Australians rather than motor vehicle travel and road safety. Finally, a proposal is made for a policy which would enhance safe mobility for older Australians, while having values which correspond with the collective thinking or political rationalities or our time.