Voter's Guide/Australia/Issue Guide/Aged Care

Aged care emerged as an issue in the 2004 election in Australia when Opposition Leader Mark Latham announced and costed a policy for aged care, which was for the Government to take care of people over 75.

This has become an issue because the baby-boomers (the generation born from 1942 to 1967) will be in the senior age group, some of them in the next four years.

The policy for aged care included both public and private hospital care, as well as care for the elderly at home.

The person responsible for such a policy is the Minister for Health and the Minister for Aged Care.