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Dementia now leading cause of death for Australians

DEMENTIA is now the leading cause of death for Australians, according to the latest update of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) Dementia in Australia report.

The update, which was released today, also found that without a significant intervention, the number of Australians living with dementia will exceed 1 million by 2065.

Dementia Australia CEO Tanya Buchanan said the report, released in the lead-up to Dementia Action Week (September 15-21), reveals the enormous impact dementia has on Australian families.

“These figures highlight just how many families are impacted by dementia across Australia. Most of us know someone who is or has been impacted by dementia,” Professor Buchanan said.

“People affected by dementia often tell us that friends and family drift away after a diagnosis, because they are unsure of how to interact.  

“That’s why the theme for this year’s Dementia Action Week – which starts on Monday 15 September – is ‘Nobody can do it alone’. We are challenging Australians to reconnect with someone impacted by dementia to help combat the high levels of social isolation many experience.”

Dementia Australia dementia advocate Lil Mirtl, who lives with dementia, said the report highlighted how important it was to act now to provide the support and services for people living with dementia.  

“We don’t have time to feel uncomfortable or awkward about these conversations about dementia – we need to have them now," Ms Mirtl said. 

“We have to pull together as a community to do this. We can’t do it alone as individuals, the government can’t do it alone, we need to all act together.”

The update to the Dementia in Australia report also revealed that 43 percent of the dementia burden in Australia can be attributed to six modifiable risk factors: being overweight or obese, physical inactivity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure in midlife, smoking and impaired kidney function.

"With dementia now the leading cause of death for Australians it is more pressing than ever that the Federal Government commit to funding a national conversation on dementia to raise awareness and promote brain health at all ages,” Prof. Buchanan said.

“By taking a comprehensive approach to addressing dementia, we can reduce the impact of dementia into the future. With aged care across the country already under pressure, and the number of people living with dementia expected to exceed 1 million by 2065, we simply cannot afford to wait.

"We call on the government to take decisive action. People living with dementia, their families and carers are depending on us to do this right, and to do it now.”

Visit dementia.org.au/dementiaactionweek to access a range of resources and information to support Australians to reconnect with someone impacted by dementia.  

 

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Audit Committee to scrutinise Attorney-General’s procurement practices

THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has commenced an inquiry into the Attorney-General’s Department’s procurement of services in response to the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

Chair of the Committee, Josh Burns MP, said, "Effective tendering and procurement processes are fundamental to how the Australian Government delivers vital services such as these. Eight years on from this Royal Commission, however, they are still not in place."

The committee will consider the findings of Auditor-General Report No. 44 (2024-25), alongside the following terms of reference:

  • The tender and procurement processes being utilised by the Attorney-General’s department to seek providers of the required services;
  • The lessons learned by the department in relation to these procurements and their current status.

Submissions to the inquiry addressing the above terms of reference are invited by Friday, October 17, 2025. 

Details of this inquiry—including the submissions received and public hearings—will be available on the inquiry website.

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Trade growth inquiry: From paddock to plate, locally and globally

THE House of Representatives Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth has commenced a new inquiry into creating sustainable economic growth in rural and regional Australia.

The committee is seeking to identify opportunities to promote and support sustainable markets for rural and regional small and medium businesses in all sectors, through enhanced branding, and certification of Australian grown or produced goods and services.

The inquiry will also examine strategies to improve Australia’s marketing efforts to promote its ‘clean and green’ agricultural, food and drink outputs; and how these align with tourism in rural and regional Australia.

Committee Chair, Senator Marielle Smith said, "The committee is keen to explore the opportunities — both traditional and innovative — that our rural and regional producers and operators are embracing; and how small and medium businesses can be better supported to not only stay in existing markets, but importantly to expand them.

"We would like to hear views from a wide variety of stakeholders about what would make a real difference in sustaining economic growth in rural and regional Australia, including through improving domestic and international branding, and certification of products and services," Senator Smith said.

"Our regional and rural outputs are diverse and are the foundation of safe and top quality goods for domestic consumption and for highly-regarded and identifiable products demanded in overseas markets."

The committee is inviting interested individuals and organisations to make submissions by Friday, October 17, 2025.

Further information about the committee’s inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, are available on the Committee’s website.

 

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Shaping a brighter future for foundational supports - updated survey link

THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability has commenced a new inquiry into the proposed Thriving Kids initiative program.

Committee Chair, Dr Mike Freelander MP, said, "Foundational supports play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectories of children with developmental delay and autism, offering the scaffolding necessary for optimal growth, learning, and wellbeing.

"The launch of this inquiry marks a significant initial step toward ensuring that the voices of families, professionals, educators and the wider community are central to designing a program that meets the real and evolving needs of Australian children. It provides an opportunity for a broad spectrum of stakeholders to share their insights and recommendations, ensuring that policies are practical, equitable, and responsive," Dr Freelander said.

The final design will be settled between the Australian Government and state and territory governments and the Thriving Kids Advisory Group that will be co-chaired by the Health Minister the Hon Mark Butler MP and Professor Frank Oberklaid AM.

The committee has welcomed the views of parents and families; disability representative organisations; disabled people's organisations; disability representative and carer organisations; health care professionals (GPs and other medical specialists, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals); early childhood, preschool and primary school educators; and service providers.

The Committee has invited interested individuals and organisations to make submissions by Friday, October 3, 2025.

A brief survey is also now available to gather community feedback on the experiences of families and carers in accessing support services for children with additional needs. The survey will be open until Friday, October 10, 2025.

Further information about the committee’s inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to contribute, are available on the Committee’s website.

 

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Are we effectively preventing unlawful drug use in Australian sport?

Committee Chair Josh Burns MP said, “Sport Integrity Australia has been tasked with the vital role of detecting and preventing the unlawful use of drugs in Australian sport. It is of great interest to the Committee whether the current scheme to achieve this is working as it should. The Australian National Audit Office has provided advice to the committee recommending further investigation.”

"Given the importance of sport in Australian life, and as we approach the hosting of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane which will be another wonderful landmark in our nation’s sporting history, it is critical that SIA has effective management and governance arrangements in place.”

The inquiry’s terms of reference will include an examination of SIA’s testing and investigative functions, the alignment of Australia’s Anti-Doping Scheme with both domestically and internationally established standards, and the prevalence and causes of unlawful doping in Australian sport.

The inquiry will further consider the findings in Auditor-General Report No.27 2024-25 Sport Integrity Australia’s Management of the National Anti-Doping Scheme.

Submissions to the inquiry addressing its terms of reference have been invited by Friday, October 17, 2025.

Further details of this inquiry – including its terms of reference, submissions received and public hearing schedules – can be accessed on the inquiry website.

 

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