Challenges for Australian nursing in the international year of older persons

Some of the major issues challenging gerontic nursing in Australia are addr essed in this article. The broad center? of change that has been introduced by successive Australian governments is presented briefly. The problems of attracting and keeping qualified nurses in aged care exacerbated by a tren d toward employers actively seeking to replace qualified nurses with unregu lated staff are discussed. Education and work practice changes are proposed as minimum responses required from nursing if the profession is to remain relevant and central to aged care into the 21st century.