• Peter Mares, Justine Elliot, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Rachel Siewert
• National Interest, ABC Radio National

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16 August 2010If demography is destiny, then aged care is the sector where election promises should be flowing thick and fast. The number of Australians aged 85+ will quadruple in the next four decades and aged care advocates say their industry is already in deep trouble. In fact, with funding falling far short of what's required, many aged care facilities are now operating in the red, with few prospects of financial redemption. In other words, we need some long-term policy vision and we need it now. Yet the campaign has yet to fully engage with the challenges of providing older Australians with the resources and facilities they need or offering them the choices they want. In this election debate, recorded at a residential aged care facility in Melbourne in front of an audience of industry players, staff, residents and families, the National Interest scrutinises the policies of Australia's three largest political parties.