Due for review: 2017 Supporting older Australians Background

Australians are living longer. This is due to a number of medical and social factors that have resulted in reduced infant mortality, fewer young people dying in motor vehicle accidents and fewer older men dying from heart disease.1 On average, Australian males born in in 2007-09 will live to 79.3 years, and females to 83.9 years, an increase from 47.2 years and 50.8 years respectively in 1881-1890.2 Presently, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have lower life expectancy compared to non-Indigenous Australians3, and Closing the gap has been identified by the Council of Australian Governments as a priority in health policy. Likewise, the number of older Australians and the proportion of the population who are aged over 65 years are also increasing – there are nearly 2.7 million Australians between the age of 65-84 years and more than 415,000 over the age of 85 years in 2011.4 This is due to a number of factors such as population growth, changes in birth rates, and death rates falling for conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and injuries.5 The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects the total number of Australians above the age of 65 years is projected to increase exponentially to more than 6 million by 2051. The Productivity Commission in its report on Caring for Older Australians estimates that by that same time, over 3.