Australia has an increasingly multicultural society.

Advances in science and medical research and public health policies have meant that life expectancy for Australians is one of the highest in the world.

We know that so many of the conditions and diseases that we associate with ageing can often be prevented or in fact their onset delayed if we just took preventative steps earlier in our lives.

We are already seeing older people wanting greater choice in how, when and where they receive care.

Today it has been estimated that the average 70 year old has four chronic conditions and consumes an average of 35 PBS scripts per year for those conditions.

We know we are entering a period of transformation in aged care.

Greater public recognition will also be critical in encouraging prevention and early intervention, and more generally in building public support to meet the challenges of dementia.