Shadow Minister questions Government’s experience in ageing issues

Shadow Minister for the Ageing, Margaret May, has raised questions about the experience of the Minister for Ageing’s team and has called for the Government to prioritise ageing on their agenda.

Shadow Minister for Ageing Margaret May has called on the Minister for Ageing, the Hon Justine Elliot MP, to guarantee to the Australian people that her office would employ staff who had a comprehensive understanding of ageing issues. “As a minister new to the portfolio, it is crucial that she surrounds herself with experts in the aged care area as our ageing population is providing significant challenges that require appropriate and visionary policy responses.” Said Ms May.

The Shadow Minister has called for the Government to bring Ageing issues to the front of their agenda. “By 2051, 6.8 million people will be aged 65 years and over. During this time, growth in the labour market will remain stagnant.” she said “Taken together, with increasing life expectancies, this will have the potential to slow economic growth and reduce older Australians’ standards of living.”

Ms May has Raised concerns about the experience of Ms Elliot’s team; “Against this reality, the Minister’s decision to employ Labor Party apparatchiks who have no experience in aged care is a serious matter indeed. This is causing divisions in the ministerial office as the Minister has lost the very staff who have experience in the area.”

Tags: ageing-minister-shadow-portfolio,

Leave a Reply