The Albanese Government will immediately fund 20,000 more home care packages to support older Australians living at home, caving to pressure from across the Parliament. Source: ABC News.
The Coalition, Greens and independents, including David Pocock, teamed up to demand the Government fund more packages, after new packages were delayed alongside broader reforms from July till November.
The Government had promised 83,000 new packages as part of its broader reforms but, following the delay, none were released, adding pressure to a waitlist that had grown from 87,000 in March to 108,000 in July.
That is the waitlist for people who have been approved for a package. There are another 121,000 older Australians still waiting to be assessed for help.
Across the Parliament and from the aged care sector and advocates for older Australians, there was widespread demand for more packages to be immediately funded, with advocates citing examples of how quickly someone could deteriorate if, for example, they had a fall because they did not have appropriate supports.
At a parliamentary inquiry on Friday, advocates emphasised the urgency for more packages, arguing that the eight weeks until the planned start date of November 1 was a long time for an older person to wait.
The inquiry also heard evidence that providers had the capacity to release more packages, adding to the pressure the Government was already facing.
Despite Labor not supporting Senator Pocock’s push for new packages in the Senate, Health Minister Mark Butler and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae announced the change at a press conference in Canberra.
As per Coalition demands, it has also agreed to fund 20,000 packages between November 1 and the end of the year. The packages are part of the already-promised 83,000 – the Government has just decided to shift the timeline.
The remaining 43,000 new packages will be rolled out in the first half of next year.
Mr Butler said the discussions had been a “moving feast”.
“We’ve been considering our position. And, you know, at the end of the day, we have said the bill needs to pass before the end of this week … We have been taking a sensible, measured approach.”
FULL STORY
Labor bows to pressure on home care packages and agrees to fund extra 20,000 immediately (By Evelyn Manfield, ABC News)
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