Tackling dementia isn't a mission federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten thinks will win Labor the next election but he says he simply can't walk past what is an "iceberg issue" for the nation.
Mr Shorten has told a healthcare-focused conference in Sydney if he's made prime minister he will aspire to help Australia lead the world in finding a cure for dementia and caring for those with living with it.
He says addressing the disease - which this year became the leading cause of death for Australian women - is "our generation's duty".
"This is an iceberg issue," Mr Shorten said on Tuesday.
"This is massive. This is seriously massive and unless we decide to do something about it, massive gets even bigger and harder."
Mr Shorten said he'd like Medicare to evolve to better support the growing number of Australians with dementia and better prevent and manage chronic diseases.
One in three Australians born today will be diagnosed with dementia and more than 500,000 people are expected to have it by 2025.
Mr Shorten wants more money invested in research to find a cure for the disease and improvements to aged care more broadly including better facilities and training.
It wouldn't be a cheap endeavour, the Labor leader conceded but he argued doing nothing would be more expensive in the long run.
