A missed opportunity describes how the ageing sector feels about last night's Budget announcement.
Jason Kara (pictured above centre), the CEO of Catholic Health Australia (CHA), said despite the significant investments in aged care over the past 18 months, CHA has warned that unresolved transition issues threaten the successful implementation of the new Aged Care Act.
“Providers continue to face significant uncertainty, and there remains an urgent need for the Department of Health and Aged Care to release critical implementation details such as co-contribution amounts,” Jason said.
“The absence of a clear transition pathway for providers who will not be ready by the stipulated deadline poses real risks for older Australians reliant on aged care services.”
CHA further highlighted significant gaps in funding for the necessary expansion of the care management workforce, which is vital for a smooth and effective transition.
“The planned level of funding for care management is insufficient and increases risks to the transition process and the sector’s ability to support the needs of older Australians,” Jason added.
Tom Symondson (pictured above right), CEO of Ageing Australia, said more work and funding is needed for operators to prepare for the new Act.
"Provider systems will need to be upgraded to interface with new systems being built by government departments. The cost to providers is immense, with some already spending millions of dollars,” he said.
Ageing Australia fell short in its bid for $600 million in the Budget for capital and its nine recommendations were ignored.
"We're not calling for the delay to the start date of the Act, and in particular its charter of rights for older Australians. What we are calling for is a staged approach to implementation of some of the reform programs,” Tom said.
"The administrative and technical challenges of this reform cannot be underestimated. Providers are committed to ambitious reform, but it takes time and requires additional support.”
Daniel Gannon (pictured above left), Executive Director of the Retirement Living Council, said labelled the 2025 Federal Budget a “missed opportunity”
“When Australia is confronted by overwhelming demographic changes, we need a Budget blueprint that appropriately addresses the challenges associated with an ageing population,” he said.
“This Budget does not speak to these challenges.
“Australia is ageing, retirement villages and aged care facilities are operating at full capacity, ambulances are ramping at hospitals bursting at the seams, and housing supply is in deficit. This means that business as usual policymaking just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
“If the government is committed to tackling housing shortage from every possible angle, it would remove the financial barriers associated with ‘rightsizing’.”
The RLC’s calls for the Albanese Government to help the retirement living sector fell on deaf ears.
The consumer peak bodies, the Older Persons Advocacy Network and COTA Australia, also lamented the lack of additional funding to help the 81,000 seniors waiting for a Home Care Package.
"We continue to see an increase in people waiting for Home Care Packages, and that hasn’t been addressed in this Budget. We are increasingly concerned that this figure will continue to grow,” OPAN CEO Craig Gear said.
