Australians will benefit from new ways to meet the challenges of an ageing population thanks to research produced at a Centre of Excellence funded by the Morrison Government.
The Government is providing $27.2 million over seven years to support the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan launched CEPAR at Parliament House on 31 October and said Australia had to confront the issue of our ageing population.
"Population ageing is one of the most important challenges facing Australia in the 21st century," Mr Tehan said.
"The ARC Centre of Excellence will bring together leading researchers from a range of disciplines to undertake research that will help governments, businesses, and consumers prepare and make better decisions for an ageing world."
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Ken Wyatt AM said the new Centre of Excellence would help prepare the nation for the future.
"We are entering the golden age of ageing and we must embrace both the opportunities and the challenges, to keep Australia at the forefront of active ageing and aged care," Mr Wyatt said.
"With projections more than 40,000 Australians will be aged 100 or older in 2050, this Centre of Excellence will complement our current world-class work in this important area."
ARC Chief Executive Officer Professor Sue Thomas said the Centre of Excellence would maintain and develop Australia’s international standing in a research area of national priority.
"CEPAR will examine the changing demographics of Australia, and explore things such as how individuals make life decisions, investigate the barriers to mature workforce participation, and find solutions to help governments improve retirement incomes and health policy," Professor Thomas said.
CEPAR will build on the work of a previous ARC Centre of Excellence established in 2011.