As a key speaker at a national conference on ageing in Perth on Monday, attended by more than 1000 carers, decision-makers and elder Australians, Kirby told The Australian that older people were professionally and personally polite - which can come at a cost economically and socially.

"The world we live in now is the world of brief messages and the technology spreading the messages, and I would like to see all of them (older Australians) on Twitter, tweeting away to get their messages out," he said.

"One of the problems is that older people do tend to be very well-mannered, and maybe what is needed is a little bit of stirring and shaking."

Before Kirby retired in February, he said he had never opened an email but had staff place emails requiring his attention before him.

He is currently learning about Twitter, plans to master it and can now open and send emails, he said.

Meanwhile, Kirby has also been appointed as an Adjunct Professor to the School of Law at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and a patron to the UWS Ally Network, a group of staff and students who are committed to creating an inclusive culture for gay and transgender community members.