The late 1990s and early 2000s have seen a major preoccupation with ageing and long-term care policy and planning in most matured and maturing nations. Australia's modern aged care system is generally agreed to be a post-Second World War phenomenon. Residential care in the Australian system has usually referred to nursing homes and hostels, funded by the Commonwealth to provide both accommodation and care. State governments have set up various primary care partnerships to work at regional and local level on better coordination and service delivery around various chronic conditions and illnesses. Deciding on the most appropriate allocation between primary prevention and chronic care on either political or economic criteria is difficult in any system. High profile shortages have been in the nursing and personal care areas, and federal and state governments have made substantial new investments in both professional and vocational training.