Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne has released this statement:
Labor’s aged care target is doomed without a major increase in investment, a former advisor to the Aged Care Royal Commission has warned, leaving potentially hundreds of thousands of older people without the basic care they need.
Wait times for a “medium priority” recipient of a home care package is 9-12 months from assessment, including at the highest “Level 4” category of care. The Government has set a target to get wait times down to 3 months by 1 July 2027.
But expert evidence given at a Greens-led Senate inquiry into aged care has said that there is “no possibility” of reaching that target based on current government policy. (Submission from Prof Kathy Eager, pg4 question 5)
On the same day that Labor plans to hit their home care target in 2027, Labor is due to shut down the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), which currently supports over 800,000 older people with their everyday needs.
Responses received yesterday from the Department of Health and Ageing to Greens’ questions at the inquiry suggested the government has not modelled the impact of the closure of the Commonwealth Home Support Program, which currently supports over 800,000 people. Rather than answer yes or no to a factual question on whether modelling existed, the Department refused to answer. [see Response to Questions on notice, Q7] Ending the Commonwealth Home Support Program would place enormous pressure on Support at Home and is a key reason why wait time targets will be out of reach.
The Greens have called on the government to not only bring forward the rollout of home care packages – as the Senate is urging – but to also dramatically increase funding for home care packages and extend the CHSP. This is the only way Labor has any chance of getting the waitlist under control and meeting their target.
The warning comes as Labor is widely expected to lose its first substantive vote in the Senate today, when the Greens, Coalition and crossbenchers join forces to compel Labor to bring forward the stalled rollout of home care packages through amendments to Labor’s aged care bill. (A procedural motion passed yesterday means the bill and amendments must be considered by the Senate today, before it will then move to the House.)
1 Comment
Home care packages require reliable service providers. WE have a shortage of workers in caring roles. We have an abundance of companies ripping off recipients of NDIS & Home Care packages. These are conflicting issues, no point in rolling out another 80,000 packages if the services aren't there to support them.
It is certainly better for people to be able to stay in there own home than going into residential care but maybe there needs to be an intermediate step that allows supported independent living (retirement villages perhaps) that aren't run for profit and don't destroy people financially.