83,000 reasons for government to make home care a priority

Aged care will require more trained staff in the future. Picture: Craig Warhurst / The Gympie Times

The government must urgently release new home-care packages. Delaying this lifeline risks leaving tens of thousands of older Australians without the support they need. Postponing the introduction of the Aged Care Act is justified but it must not come at the cost of those already waiting.

Jenny*, 78, from Merrylands, NSW, is one of more than 83,000 older Australians waiting for a home-care package. She was assessed and approved for a Level 3 package in February 2024 but is still waiting.

In the meantime, her early-stage dementia has worsened. She’s fallen at home, broken her wrist, and now relies on her daughter – who lives over an hour away – for basic care.

Jenny’s story is one that’s all too common. These are not people waiting to find out if they’re eligible, they’ve been assessed and approved for care.

The Royal Commission was clear that aged care must be needs-based. If someone is assessed as needing care, they should get it. But government-imposed caps are rationing support, leaving thousands in limbo.

This isn’t inevitable; it’s a political choice. The government can change it. Lift the caps. Deliver care based on need, not arbitrary limits.

The government made the right call to delay the introduction of the Aged Care Act from 1 July to 1 November 2025. The decision followed extensive engagement with providers, older Australians and advocates, all of whom agreed that more time is needed to get this right.

While the deferral of the Act is a sensible course correction, the accompanying decision to delay the release of new home-care packages to 1 November is not. It risks harming Jenny and thousands of older Australians; the very people these reforms are meant to support.

The growing waitlist includes people with vastly different needs. From older Australians needing basic help around the house and garden, to those who require daily visits from nurses and other health professionals.

The delay means that between now and 1 November, for any of those 83,000 people to receive the care they need, someone currently in the system must die. This effectively suggests that our home-care system is at absolute capacity despite home-care providers being prepared to clear the waitlist.

Meanwhile, the parts of our healthcare system that are under the greatest strain – residential aged care and hospitals – are where many of these people end up despite being approved for support at home, where they want to be.

The Australian Medical Association estimated in 2023 that elderly people stuck in hospital beds that can be cared for elsewhere is costing the Federal Government up to $2 billion every year.

The government has recognised the problem and plans to address it by releasing over 100,000 packages over the coming years. But delaying the release of even the first tranche until November is only going to deepen a problem that is already unacceptable.

By 1 November, the waitlist is projected to grow by 4000. These are people who need support now, not in a year’s time.

The solution for the government is simple – continue with the previously planned release of home-care packages from 1 July at the latest.

A targeted release of even 20,000 packages would make a tangible, immediate difference to thousands of people and help ease the pressure on overstretched hospitals as we head into winter.

It would also send a clear message that the government understands that reform is not just about the future. It’s about what we do now for the people who are already in the system, already approved for care, and already waiting far too long.

The passage of the Aged Care Act will be a defining moment in how we care for our ageing population. But delaying the release of home-care packages risks undermining the very spirit of the reforms. We must not lose sight of those who need support today.

*Pseudonym used.

Prue Bowden is the chief executive of Australian Unity Home Health, Australia’s largest provider of at home-care services.