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Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV) and Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria’s Beyond Age project will be the focal point of its major World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) 2026 event, changing the conversation about ageing.
The 11 June event will be held at the Melbourne Town Hall’s Swanston Hall, featuring a series of Beyond Age storyboards created by older Victorians from all around the state alongside an opportunity for attendees to contribute to the growing movement. Additional guest speakers, detailed in the weeks to come, will also be in attendance to speak out against ageism and raise awareness of the scourge that is elder abuse.
Hosted by Max Primmer, the winner of the 2023 Victorian Senior of the Year Awards program’s Ageing Well award, the event will conclude with an all-important conversation with attendees focussed on combatting ageism, led by SRV peer educator Sharon Butler.
“The Beyond Age project has been incredibly successful in communities all throughout Victoria, emphasising the value of age,” said SRV CEO Ben Rogers, who will also speak at the event. “We look forward to sparking further discussion on the positive and negative aspects of ageing, the latter of which, of course, is a significant driver of elder abuse.”
Doors open for the event at 9.30 am on 11 June, with the program running between 10.00 am to 12.00 pm. A small number of free tickets to the showcase are available to the public, available on the Humanitix ticketing platform.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day follows on 15 June 2025. Those who wish to take part in the initiative can find additional resources on the WEAAD website, and can submit their own event to our calendar.
The core of Seniors Rights Victoria and COTA Victoria’s WEAAD program, the Beyond Age project asks older people to couple a photo from their past with one from their present, then providing advice about getting older to their younger self. Older people are encouraged to take part in the project from the comfort of their own homes through an online submission form found on the WEAAD website. Members are also encouraged to take part on social media using the hashtags #WEAAD and #BeyondAge.
If you are in Victoria and experiencing elder abuse, or are concerned about the welfare of another, help is available through Seniors Rights Victoria’s confidential helpline on 1300 368 821. Our website – seniorsrights.org.au – also features resources for concerned friends or family members.
For nationwide assistance, please call 1800 ELDERHelp (1800 353 374). You can also access additional resources in 20 different languages using the Australian Human Rights Commission website.
If it is an emergency, call 000.
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Further context
All points below are attributable to Ben Rogers, CEO of Seniors Rights Victoria and COTA Victoria.
- The most recent study of elder abuse prevalence in Australia found that 1 in 6 people 65 years and over had experienced at least one recognised form of elder abuse over the previous 12 months.
- This suggests that 160,000 older Victorians are reporting that they have experienced elder abuse each year, demonstrating the clear need for training and support.
- Elder abuse comes in many forms. It can be financial, emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, or social. Elder abuse can occur once or many times and can vary in severity from subtle through to extreme and can include one or a combination of the different types of abuse.
- Elder abuse is most often perpetrated by someone known to and trusted by the older person, such as family members, relatives, or friends, with two thirds of reported elder abuse being perpetrated by the adult children of an older person.
- Elder abuse affects people of all genders and all walks of life. The abuse, however, disproportionately affects women – two-thirds of people seeking help from SRV are women.
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and LGBTQIA+ communities are additionally vulnerable to elder abuse, as are older people living in rural and regional communities.
- In the 2024/25 financial year, the SRV helpline received a total of 13,203 calls, a 12% increase compared to the year before. Of those, our advocates were able to make contact and assist 3,970 contacts with 5,238 unique issues.
- SRV data from the 2024/25 financial year indicates that 64% of alleged perpetrators of elder abuse are the adult children of the victim-survivor.
- The average number of days a case remained open was 646 days, with the longest closed case running totaling 1,788 days (almost 4 years). Due to the increasing complexity of matters, we are experiencing a greater volume of cases spanning longer periods of time.
For further information
Steve Wright
Communications and Membership Manager
Seniors Rights Victoria & COTA Victoria
Telephone: +61 3 9655 2159
Email: communications@cotavic.org.au
About us
Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV) is the key state-wide service dedicated to advancing the rights of older people and the early intervention into, or prevention of, elder abuse in our community. It is the only Community Legal Centre dedicated to preventing and responding to elder abuse within Victoria.
SRV has a team of experienced advocates, lawyers, and social workers who provide free information, advice, referral, legal advice, legal casework, and support to older people who are either at risk of or are experiencing elder abuse. SRV supports and empowers older people through the provision of legal advice directly to the older person.
https://seniorsrights.org.au | https://elderabuseawarenessday.org.au
Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria is the leading not-for-profit organisation representing the interests and rights of people aged over 50 in Victoria. Celebrating 75 years of service in 2026, we have led government, corporate and community thinking about the positive aspects of ageing in the state.
Today, our focus is on promoting opportunities for and protecting the legal rights of people 50+. We value ageing and embrace its opportunities for personal growth, contribution, and self-expression. This belief drives benefits to the nation and its states alongside communities, families, and individuals. We also offer free membership to those who wish to aid us in our work.