Aged Care

Ananda-Rajah attributed the current challenges to chronic underinvestment and workforce burnout during the previous decade of Liberal stewardship, exacerbated by the pandemic. Ananda-Rajah highlighted that the government had passed emergency legislation in 2022 and invested $18 billion to increase wages for registered nurses and carers. Ananda-Rajah noted that 24/7 nursing was now present in 99 per cent of aged care sites, reducing hospital admissions. Ananda-Rajah stated that the new Aged Care Act, starting 1 November, would introduce the Support at Home program with 83,000 new packages to support autonomy.

Allman-Payne cited evidence from the Community Affairs References Committee indicating the waitlist exceeded 200,000 people, not the 87,000 figure often cited. Allman-Payne argued that providers were ready to roll out more packages immediately and that the Department of Health confirmed no technical impediments existed to releasing them from 1 July. Allman-Payne stated that the delay was solely a ministerial decision, causing catastrophic delays for older Australians and leading to earlier hospital admissions or residential care placement. Allman-Payne criticised the government for relying on recycled packages rather than releasing new ones.

Kovacic described the situation as a crisis, noting that approximately 200,000 older Australians were waiting for assessment or package assignment, with some facing waits of up to two years. Kovacic shared a personal anecdote about her 91-year-old mother, who had been waiting for a package upgrade since November 2023 despite being approved in December 2024. Kovacic argued that the government was obfuscating the reality of the crisis by claiming to release packages weekly when none had been new since 1 July. Kovacic stated that the Prime Minister had failed to deliver on promises of security and dignity for older Australians.

Polley argued that the government inherited a broken system from the previous administration, which had called a royal commission due to its own failings. Polley stated that the government had invested in the workforce, which the previous government had neglected, and that 2,000 new packages were being allocated weekly. Polley highlighted that wait times for high-priority assessments had dropped to 25 days in July from 30 days in June. Polley asserted that the Support at Home program would provide 83,000 new places from 1 November, representing a major expansion of services.

Tyrrell acknowledged that workforce shortages and an ageing population predated the current government but argued that the waitlist had grown from 20,000 to over 100,000 under Labor. Tyrrell criticised the deliberate withholding of 83,000 packages, noting that people were waiting up to 15 months for support. Tyrrell stated that Tasmania, having the oldest population, was disproportionately affected by the shortage. Tyrrell called for a streamlined assessment process and the effective rollout of packages to all Australians without delay.