Dementia advocacy and the 48th federal Parliament
Here’s how you can help advocate for dementia and brain health with the 48th parliament.
With the 48th Parliament elected in May 2025, Dementia Australia is issuing a stark warning: Australians impacted by dementia cannot wait. Dementia is soon set to become the nation’s leading cause of death and is the public health, disability and aged care challenge facing Australians. It must be top of the agenda for all political parties and independents and Dementia Australia is calling on them to commit to immediate action.
You too can help to advocate for improved support and services for Australians of all ages who are impacted by dementia and to raise national understanding of dementia by supporting Dementia Australia’s call for a national discussion on brain health.
Dementia Australia is asking for your help to share your experiences of living with and/or being a family member or carer of a person living with dementia with MPs and senators. Real stories are powerful in educating politicians and helping them to understand the impact of dementia and of the stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with dementia.
The information and tools on this page will equip you to kick-start this conversation with your local member.
Interviews with The Hon Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing and the Hon Senator Anne Ruston, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
Local information is appreciated by politicians and you can find information about the number of people living with dementia in your federal electorate in our document on dementia prevalence in 2025 and beyond.
An issue for all Australians
Dementia impacts Australians of all ages including children, younger and older adults. It is a progressive brain condition and there is currently no cure. Dementia is not only an aged care issue. We need to consider how we reduce the risk of developing dementia across our lives by maintaining our brain health as well as ensuring people impacted by dementia are able to access the supports and services that enable them to live well.
With dementia set to become the leading cause of death for all Australians, dementia must become a priority for the 48th Parliament. People with dementia wait longer in hospitals to get access to residential aged care than someone who doesn't have dementia. Some people living with dementia may be turned away from residential aged care facilities if they have complex behaviours, and these people may stay in hospital longer than necessary. The length of stay in hospital is five times longer than for someone without dementia.
The situation is critical with our hospitals, acute care and aged care systems increasingly unable to meet the growing demand. Without significant intervention the number of Australians who will be living with dementia is set to double in the next 30 years. It is clear that we need to act now to increase services and supports and to address dementia risk factors into the future.
We cannot change getting older, genetics or family history, however scientific research shows that looking after our brain health can make a big difference to reducing or delaying the risk of developing dementia. We must ensure we take all steps possible to promote good brain health throughout our lives in order to reduce the risk of dementia in the future.
Dementia Australia’s research clearly shows that there has been a sustained and profoundly concerning lack of awareness and understanding about dementia in the community – with many Australians mistakenly believing dementia is a normal part of ageing.
The lack of knowledge and understanding has substantial negative impacts on people living with dementia, their families and carers. Low awareness contributes to discrimination, stigma and isolation. Poor understanding creates barriers to timely diagnosis and to accessing ongoing medical and social care.
Make dementia the federal government’s priority
Dementia Australia is calling on the federal government to:
- launch a national conversation on dementia to raise awareness of the condition and to promote brain health at all ages
- establish a team of dementia specialist care coordinators within Dementia Australia to deliver nationally consistent support and navigation to people of all ages living with dementia, their families and carers
- build the capability of the workforce to provide care and support for people living with dementia.
Help us to call on the federal government to make these changes.
Dementia Action Week 15–21 September 2025
Dementia Action Week is an opportunity to call on your local state, territory and federal MPs and Senators to raise awareness in their communities and in parliaments. You can share the key messages, social media tiles and encourage them to act.
Additionally, it is an opportunity to ask them to support Dementia Australia’s call for a national conversation about dementia and brain health and the need for improved support and services.
It’s always helpful to highlight your electorate or regional dementia prevalence data when talking to your local Member. Here are the links for state, territory and federal areas.
Encourage them to include Dementia Action Week messages in their speeches — at community events and in parliaments.
Suggested speech script
Today I want to bring your attention to Dementia Action Week which is running from 15 to 21 September. Led by Dementia Australia this year’s theme is Nobody can do it alone.
With an estimated 433,300 Australians of all ages living with dementia and 1.7 million people involved in their care, chances are you know someone who is impacted by dementia.
Of those living with dementia, there are an estimated 29,000 people living with younger onset dementia (diagnosed when they were younger than 65).
Additionally, about 1,500 children are living with childhood dementia.
[use relevant data below]
In the Australian Capital Territory, there are an estimated 6,100 people living with all forms of dementia and an estimated 430 people living with younger onset dementia.
In New South Wales, there are an estimated 141,800 people living with all forms of dementia and an estimated 9,200 people living with younger onset dementia.
In Queensland, there are an estimated 85,200 people living with all forms of dementia and an estimated 5,900 people living with younger onset dementia.
In South Australia, there are an estimated 35,000 people living with all forms of dementia and an estimated 2,100 people living with younger onset dementia.
In Tasmania, there are an estimated 10,900 people living with all forms of dementia and an estimated 700 people living with younger onset dementia.
In Victoria, there are an estimated 110,600 people living with all forms of dementia and an estimated 7,400 people living with younger onset dementia.
In Western Australia, in 2025 there are an estimated 42,000 people living with all forms of dementia and an estimated 2,900 people living with younger onset dementia.
[Use dementia prevalence data by electorate state and territory and federal]
Dementia doesn’t just impact the person living with the condition and their immediate carers; it also impacts their friends, family and wider social network.
People living with dementia tell us that friends and family often drop away, not knowing how to interact with them once they have a diagnosis.
This leads to social isolation and loneliness and can further drive stigma and discrimination.
Almost half of people living with dementia said people treated them differently since finding out they had dementia, according to a recent dementia discrimination survey/report.
Almost half of people living with dementia said people didn’t keep in touch as they used to, according to a recent dementia discrimination survey/report.
More than half of people caring for someone living with dementia felt isolated.
More than 96 per cent of people caring for a loved one with dementia said the role of carer was emotionally demanding.
I spoke to [insert name] in my electorate and they told me how important it is for them to feel welcome and understood, to feel confident to keep doing the things they like to do.
When our communities become dementia-friendly, it will lead to a greater understanding of dementia, less stigma, more people seeking help early and more inclusive support to keep people active in our communities for longer.
This Dementia Action Week we challenge everyone in the community to reach out and reconnect to someone impacted by dementia because nobody can do it alone.
I urge you to get involved in Dementia Action Week, share Dementia Australia's message on your own social media, and visit the Dementia Australia website, dementia.org.au, for a great range of resources. Importantly, don’t forget that Dementia Australia runs the National Dementia Helpline which is available free of charge to anyone concerned about dementia 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year on 1800 100 500.
Dementia Action Week key messages
Dementia Action Week 2025 will be held from Monday 15 to Sunday 21 September, which includes World Alzheimer’s Day on 21 September.
This year’s theme is ‘Nobody can do it alone’.
Dementia doesn’t just impact the person living with the condition and their immediate carers; it also impacts their friends, family and wider social network.
People living with dementia tell us that friends and family often drop away, not knowing how to interact with them once they have a diagnosis.
This leads to social isolation and loneliness and can further drive stigma and discrimination.
With an estimated 433,300 Australians living with dementia and 1.7 million people involved in their care, chances are you know someone who is impacted by dementia.
Of those living with dementia, there are an estimated 29,000 people living with younger onset dementia (diagnosed when they were younger than 65).
Additionally about 1,500 children are living with childhood dementia.
This Dementia Action Week we challenge everyone in the community to reach out and reconnect to someone impacted by dementia because nobody can do it alone.
More than 96 per cent of people caring for a loved one with dementia said the role of carer was emotionally demanding.
More than half of people caring for someone living with dementia felt isolated.
Almost half of people living with dementia said people treated them differently since finding out they had dementia, according to a recent dementia discrimination survey/report.
Almost half of people living with dementia said people didn’t keep in touch as they used to, according to a recent dementia discrimination survey/report.
More than half of families and carers of a loved one with dementia said they often felt that they were treated unfairly. This finding, from a recent report into dementia discrimination reflects the ripple effect of stigma on those closely connected to someone living with dementia.
Visit our Dementia Action Week page to find out more.
Make sure you are enrolled to vote
You can check if you are enrolled on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website.
We also have a guide to ways you can be supported to participate in elections if you live with dementia:
How to advocate for dementia to the Australian government
You can also download this flyer to print or send to your local federal member or senator to advocate for dementia and brain health.
Follow up with Dementia Australia
Thank you for taking action and calling on your federal member of parliament or senator to address the needs of those living with and affected by dementia.
After you have made contact with them please do not hesitate to contact us at DementiaAustraliamedia@dementia.org.au. Let us know how your conversation went and if you would like any further guidance.