Hi-tech website asks “who cares”?

UnitingCare Ageing NSW.ACT has launched a multimedia, online platform to drive debate in the lead up to the federal election.

The ‘Who Cares Anyway?’ site takes advantage of the latest technology, allowing visitors to podcast, download videos from YouTube and participate in interactive forums about aged care.

It also has a poll asking voters which party they think “will be the best for aged care in Australia over the next decade”.

The organisation’s director, Gillian McFee, believes this type of website will become increasingly popular among lobby groups.

“I think that this is the way you’ve got to go,” she said. “You just have to look at this election campaign where both the major parties are using this technology to get their message across.

“The old way of lobbying by writing to the minister is such a static method in comparison.”

The impetus behind the site was a desire to bring a fresh perspective to the aged care debate.

“We felt that we had a different message that we wanted to get out,” said Ms McFee. “We wanted to get the issue of consumer directed care out there and to float some of the issues about bringing accommodation and care together in different ways that better suit people’s needs.”

The site will continue to be updated after the election, seeking to hold the new government to its promises and pushing for further changes.