Australia’s aged care sector is undergoing a profound transformation—a quiet revolution that will shape how we age and how we care for older Australians. In this episode, Ryan Banting speaks with Ian Yates AM, one of the nation’s most respected advocates for older people, about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Ryan and Ian discuss:

• Why aged care is more than residential facilities, or aged care properties —it’s a system spanning home care, health services and community support.
• The impact of rationing aged care and whether access should be legislated like the aged pension.
• How reforms and private capital can unlock innovation and investment.
• The rise of home care and what it means for the future of residential aged care.

Ian shares insights from decades of leadership, including his tenure as Chief Executive of COTA Australia and Acting Inspector General of Aged Care, where he championed a rights-based, person-centred system.

This episode was recorded on Thursday 9 October, prior to the commencement of the new Aged Aged Care Act on 1 November 2025. (https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act/about?language=en)

Key Themes

• Demographics: By 2062, Australians aged over 80 will triple to 3.5 million—equivalent to the current combined population of WA and ACT.
• Innovation imperative: Providers must rethink models as baby boomers’ preferences diverge from previous generations.
• Home care revolution: Packages have grown from 60,000 in 2016 to 300,000 today—a seismic shift in how care is delivered

Host: Ryan Banting, Executive General Manager – Social Infrastructure
Guest: Ian Yates AM

About Ian Yates AM

Ian was Chief Executive of COTA Australia for over three decades. He was then asked to be Acting Inspector General of Aged Care, which he did for two years until his term finished in January 2025.

Under his leadership, the OIGAC became Australia’s first independent entity dedicated to overseeing the Government’s administration of the aged care system.

During his time as Acting Inspector General Ian initiated a review of My Aged Care, the Government's portal for accessing aged care services, and provided the Minister and Parliament with two comprehensive independent reports on the government's implementation of the Aged Care Royal Commission Recommendations—highlighting among other things the importance of a rights-based and older person controlled system to both protect and enable older people.

In 2005 Ian was made a Member of the Order of Australia for “outstanding service to the welfare of the aged in South Australia and to a range of community, health and education organisations.”

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Health and Care Blueprint – Business Council of Australia: https://www.bca.com.au/reports-submissions/reports/supporting-a-healthy-and-productive-nation/
CEDA: Media release - Australia needs an essential skills visa to fix the aged care worker   
shortage: https://www.ceda.com.au/news-and-resources/media-releases/workforce-skills/australia-needs-an-essen…
Learn more about Australian Unity’s social infrastructure investments: australianunity.com.au/wealth  

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