The Government of Western Australia (WA) has been strongly committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for all its community members—including older people. The WA Government, through the Department of Local Government and Communities (DLGC), has therefore consistently supported grants and programmes that support and address their needs—committing to ‘making a difference for local communities.’

The WA Government has adopted the WHO Age-friendly Cities and Communities approach since 2006. Beginning with a pilot programme in the City of Melville, the WA Government was the first Australian jurisdiction to implement an age-friendly community strategic planning framework that emphasised multi-sectoral collaboration. The results of this project have since been used to implement the framework in other local governments, particularly in rural and regional locations.

Since then, the WA Government continues to recognise the importance of strong partnerships and collaborations in creating age-friendly environments. This has led to the establishment of an Age-friendly Interagency Group, which brings together state and local government agencies to collaborate and develop strategic responses to ageing, and support for the Age-friendly Communities Local Government network, which provides opportunities for local government officers to collaborate, network and share knowledge on age-friendly principles. As an Affiliate of the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities, the WA Government continues to embrace the collaborative WHO approach to age-friendliness in ensuring older Western Australians can live full and active lives.