Care providers and advocates are warning that hundreds of thousands of older Australians risk losing access to critical support services and be forced onto massive wait lists, as the Albanese Government moves to scrap the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) while the aged care system remains in crisis.
Evidence presented yesterday at the Senate Inquiry into the CHSP transition to Support at Home revealed serious concerns about the Government’s plan to shift around 835,000 older Australians into a system already struggling under massive backlogs.
This would mean the combined number of older Australians either already waiting for support or set to be transitioned into Support at Home would approach one million people, with providers confirming yesterday that wait lists would not get any shorter.
Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Senator Anne Ruston said older Australians are already waiting far too long for care and Labor’s transition risks pushing the system beyond breaking point.
“Wait times for a home care package have already doubled in just one year, yet the Government is pushing ahead with changes that providers warn will overwhelm the system,” Senator Ruston said.
“The Albanese Government promised to put the care back in aged care, but all they've managed to do is put the wait in waiting list.”
The Inspector-General of Aged Care Natalie Siegel-Brown gave strong evidence to the inquiry about the impact of mishandling this transition, stating that it would “risk longer wait times, accelerated deterioration, and we're going to put further strain on a residential aged care sector, which we know already is unlikely to meet the demand of the next few years.”
Senator Ruston said the Government’s decision to abolish CHSP also risks removing a critical safety net older Australians currently rely on while waiting – on average for eight months – for Support at Home packages.
“If Labor abolishes CHSP while Support at Home is still at crisis point, older Australians will simply be left waiting longer without any help at all,” Senator Ruston said.
“The Government is effectively taking away the lifeboat from older Australians who need support to stay independent in their own homes for longer.”
Senator Ruston said the Government appeared determined to repeat mistakes made during the rollout of the NDIS by forcing everyone into a single individualised funding system.
“Labor risks creating a NDIS 2.0 in aged care by scrapping entry-level community supports and forcing everyone into a single system already under serious pressure,” she said.
“While the Government is now trying to fix mistakes in the NDIS by rebuilding community-based supports through its Thriving Kids program, it is moving aged care in the opposite direction.
“The Albanese Government’s aged care crisis is already hurting older Australians, but there are serious fears that it is about to get much worse if they don’t change course.”
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