Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck appointed Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians

Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck will take over the reins as Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians from Ken Wyatt. He will also take on the Youth and Sport portfolios.

Perhaps a hard ask when you consider the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety still has months to run and that the issue of aged care has been identified by seniors lobby groups as a priority for older Australians.

While we wait for seniors lobby groups to digest what Mr Colbeck's appointment might mean for older - and younger - Australians, one aged care industry body has already made its views clear.

While welcoming the "fresh eyes" of the new minister, Leading Age Services Australia chief executive Sean Rooney said the industry was looking to the government to:

FIX the "funding emergency" in residential care and commit to ensuring funding meets the growing costs of delivering high quality care;

FIX the "unacceptable" impact on older people by legislating maximum wait times of no more than three months for home care services; and

INVEST in workforce growth and development and develop a comprehensive national ageing well strategy.

"This government must commit to urgent action to address these issues if we are to meet the changing needs and expectations of the growing numbers of older Australians," Mr Rooney said.

"While the important work of the royal commission continues, we must get on with the job of making the system better right now."

Richard Colbeck has been a senator since 2002.

Based in Devonport, he served in several parliamentary secretary roles before being appointed Minister for Tourism and International Education and Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment in 2015 - positions he held for just under 12 months.

He served as Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources from August 2018.

Prior to entering parliament, he worked in the construction industry.