SENATOR THE HON ANNE RUSTON

SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE

DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE

SENATOR FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday, 20 August 2026

EMBATTLED MINISTER’S AGED CARE ABOUT-FACE, LATE AS ALWAYS

Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, has described Labor’s decision to extend the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) to 2029 as an “embarrassing backdown” after months of mounting evidence and pressure that abolishing the program would be reckless.

Shadow Health Minister Senator Anne Ruston said the Albanese Government has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a position the Coalition has been calling for all year after the scale of its aged care failures was laid bare earlier this week.

“If Labor wants a pat on the back for finally doing what the Coalition, a Senate Inquiry, older Australians and the aged care sector has been calling on them for more than six months, well, tell ‘em they’re dreaming.”

“This is an embarrassing, overdue backdown from Labor in the face of overwhelming evidence that abolishing community support would have been reckless for the 835,000 older Australians who rely on this program.

“The Auditor-General, the Senate inquiry into the future of CHSP and the aged care sector have all raised serious concerns about the Government’s plans to transition CHSP into Support at Home. The Inquiry recommended retaining CHSP block funding months ago.

“The Coalition has been relentless in putting pressure on the Government to do the right thing, but we particularly acknowledge the extraordinary advocacy from the aged care sector who have fought hard to make sure the voices of 835,000 older Australians were heard.

“Let’s be clear, this was not a proactive decision from a Government with a clear plan. Labor has left this decision until the last minute, just as they have done repeatedly throughout their chaotic aged care reforms.”

Botching Aged Care Reforms

Senator Ruston said that despite what the Minister says, the recommendation of the Royal Commission was not to abolish CHSP, but to offer a single point of entry into the aged care system for older Australians.

“This government is comprehensively botching reforms of the aged care system and older Australians are feeling the brunt of Labor’s bungling. The Royal Commission recommended making things simpler and more straightforward for older Australians but Labor has made it more complicated than ever,” she said.

“The Government has spent months telling the sector that CHSP would transition into Support at Home yet has now been forced to admit that removing CHSP was simply not workable.”

Pass the Human Over-ride Bill

Senator Ruston said Labor has now implemented the Coalition’s policy on CHSP, after denying it was needed, and should admit defeat and do the same on human override for the aged care assessments.

“We have introduced legislation to ensure that qualified aged care assessors — not a computer algorithm — have the ability to use their professional judgement when the assessment outcome does not reflect an older person’s actual needs,” Senator Ruston said.

“After the devastating evidence exposed by Four Corners, the Government can no longer pretend the Integrated Assessment Tool is working as it should.

“Labor has listened to the sector on CHSP because they had no choice.

“Now they need to listen to older Australians, their families, assessors and the Coalition and restore human oversight to aged care assessments.”

ENDS

Link to Senate Inquiry Recommendations: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/CHSPTransition/Report