Aged Care Council of Elders

Role

The Australian Government established the Aged Care Council of Elders as an advisory body to the aged care reforms.

The Council of Elders provide a direct voice to the Australian Government from older Australians. This voice is informed by their lived experiences and local networks.

The Council of Elders talk to older people about changes being made to aged care and listen to their experiences. The Council use this information to give independent advice to Government about the aged care system and ageing well. They consider views from older people across Australia when providing their advice.

To do this the council consults with older people on a range of matters including:

aged care quality and safety
the needs of older people and their families and carers
the rights and dignity of older people.

We will publish opportunities to engage with the council on the Aged Care Engagement Hub.

The council reports on the diverse issues, views, and perspectives of older people to the:

Minister for Health and Aged Care
Minister for Aged Care
Department of Health and Aged Care.

Council advice targets key issues related to the aged care reforms.

Read the Council of Elders terms of reference for more information.

Please note the terms of reference are currently under review. For more information, please email us.

Members

The Council of Elders’ members comprise a mix of diverse skills, expertise, and backgrounds. They represent broad geographical locations and consider views from across Australia.

In April 2023, Anne Burgess was announced as the chair of the Council of Elders. Ms Burgess has been appointed to this role for 2 years.

In January 2023, Ian Yates AM commenced as the Interim Inspector-General of Aged Care. As a result, Mr Yates stepped down from his role as Chair of the Council of Elders.

Members	Position
Ms Anne Burgess AM	Chair
Dr Michael Barbato, OAM	Council member
Professor Tom Calma, AO	Council member
Ms Gwenda Darling	Council member
Ms Val Fell, OAM	Council member
Ms Gillian Groom, AO	Council member
Ms Danijela Hlis	Council member
Mr Bill Jolley	Council member
Dr Gill Lewin	Council member
Professor John McCallum	Council member
Ms Sue McCann	Council member
Dr Kay Patterson, AO	Council member
Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann, AM	Council member
Ms Margaret Walsh, OAM	Council member

Meetings

The council will meet 6 times per year, or more frequently as required.

Communiques