Media Release: Labor's Broken Promise to Older Australians as it is Caught Rationing Home Care

The Albanese Labor Government has broken its clear promise by short-changing older Australians on the delivery of new home care packages.

Under questioning by the Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Senator Anne Ruston, Department officials revealed in Senate Estimates today that 93 per cent of Support at Home packages released this financial year have been “interim packages”, providing only 60 per cent of the care an older Australian has been assessed as needing.

The Department also confirmed that when an older person eventually transitions to a full package after a period of up to 17 weeks, their care funding is not backdated, meaning they permanently lose weeks' worth of support.

This stands in stark contrast to the commitment made by Minister Sam Rae earlier this year after he was forced into announcing the delivery of 83,000 new packages to make sure “people who need it can get the care they need faster.”

That commitment was unambiguous: they would provide real, full packages – not rationed ones.

Senator Ruston said today’s revelations were absolutely shocking, proving this was a government that cares more about protecting its budget than ensuring older Australians receive the care they have been assessed as needing.

“When the Minister fronted cameras and promised 83,000 new packages, he failed to mention older Australians would only get 60 per cent of what they need and deserve,” Senator Ruston said.

"This Government is short-changing older Australians. Some will permanently lose up to 13 per cent of the funding the Government's own assessment said they need – and Labor never told them."

“This is a clear broken promise and a fundamental breach of trust with older Australians.”

During Senate Estimates, officials confirmed the Government had inserted a provision into the Support at Home rules allowing the Minister to downgrade packages to 60 per cent of funding ‘when demand exceeds available funding’, and that the determination to provide the ‘interim packages’ was made by the Minister in consultation with the Finance Minister.

This mechanism, which allows rationing of care based on budget pressure rather than assessed need, was not disclosed to the sector, to the Parliament, or to the public.

Senator Ruston said that the Government’s secret provision was brought to the Coalition’s attention after distressed older Australians began receiving letters which advised they would receive only 60 per cent of their approved package.

“Older Australians had no idea their promised care could be quietly cut to 60 per cent just because the Government has made a budgetary decision. This is not transparency, it is a hidden cut to protect Jim Chalmer’s budget bottom-line.

“Labor told Australians they would put the care back into aged care. Instead, they have left 238,000 waiting for care and now they are secretly rationing new packages.

“Older Australians deserve transparency and the care they need, not a government that hides cuts in the fine print and breaks the commitments it made to them,” Senator Ruston said.

ENDS