Kevin Rudd has held on to Nicola Roxon from Shadow Minister to Minister
for Health and Ageing. However he has repositioned Jan McLucas from the
Shadow Minister for Ageing to the Parliamentary Secretary to Nicola Roxon,
and promoted Justine Elliot to Minister for Ageing (a junior ministry). As Glenn
Bunney of Sundale Villages regularly points out, this portfolio has historically not
been treated with the importance it deserves, with 6 Ministers in 10 years (Smith,
B. Bishop, Andrews, J. Bishop, Santoro, Pyne). Justine Elliot will be the 7th, and
hopefully the last for some time.
The CEO of the RVA, Kate Hammond, has welcomed Nicola Roxon and called on
her to appoint an ambassador of the ageing, to ensure their interests are heard
and considered.
Government Policy
The three aged care bombshells from Senate Estimates
Last week’s Senate Estimates hearing – held just three weeks before sweeping reforms roll out – gave politicians the chance to ask Government heavyweights the questions they’re getting from constituents and to interrogate the once-in-a-generation changes.
