Commissioner Dr John Byrne said as a senior himself, it was important to recognise this cohort and the challenges they face when it comes to discrimination.
"Age discrimination in employment, the provision of goods and services and in accommodation and housing are particular concerns for WA seniors.
"People over the age of 55 often feel they miss out on employment opportunities, are invisible when receiving goods and services and feel seniors accommodation is unaffordable," he said.
In 2018 the Commission conducted a survey about the types of discrimination people over the age of 55 experienced which formed the basis for the Commission's Age is not a use by date - A snapshot of the experiences of discrimination among Western Australia's seniors.
Some of the responses published in the survey include:
"In the office I felt that what I had to say was of no worth when I clearly had more experience to be able to provide advice compared to the much younger person. I had also kept up-to-date so my advice was contemporary, but I felt that as I was an older worker my advice was not valued and was discarded,"
"Service providers speak down to me and make me wait for service. They assume because you are old you have no business acumen,"
"It is an ongoing problem with the owner/managers of our park home village. They are charging us exorbitant fees, refuse to do necessary upgrades to the village, bully the older residents and blatantly refuse to meet and discuss these problems."
Dr Byrne said intersectionality also impacted negatively on this cohort.
"Race, impairment and sex can also exacerbate issues of discrimination where elderly women of ethnically diverse backgrounds can be severely marginalised in the areas of work, goods and services and accommodation," he said.
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