Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for the question, Senator Stoker. Dementia is the second-leading cause of death in Australia. It's a significant issue for many families, as Senator Stoker has just said. We are delivering on commitments that we've made to the Australian community to better support people living with dementia.

In 2019-20 the government will provide in excess of $68 million for dementia-specific support and training programs that will benefit people living with dementia, their carers and service providers. This includes $17.41 million for the Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service, $16.6 million for the severe behaviour response teams, $11.59 million for the dementia training support program, $8.32 million for the Specialist Dementia Care Program, $13.9 million for the National Dementia Support Program and $1.2 million for dementia-friendly communities.

The $68 million also includes new funding of $10 million from 2019-20 to 2020-21 to increase dementia training and support for aged care workers and health sector staff, as announced by the government in November last year. This investment will deliver additional face-to-face and teleconference interventions to address the behavioural symptoms of dementia, as well as training for health and aged care providers through the expansion of the Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service, the severe dementia response teams, and training programs. At full rollout, the Australian government will provide $70 million per year for the specialist dementia care program. (Time expired)