Government Policy

Fed Govt to release 7,615 new Home Care Packages as 76,000 wait for care

The Government will spend just $101.7 million on the new Packages ahead of the transition to the new Support at Home program from 1 July 2025.

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Lauren Broomham

18 Dec 2024

Government Policy

Breaking news: Fed Govt slashes $2.5B off aged care with new payments in arrears for residential aged care from 1 July 2026

With the Federal Budget slipping further into deficit over the next four years, the Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) 2024-25 has revealed the Albanese Government is looking to save on spending with aged care is in its sights. Presenting the...

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Lauren Broomham

18 Dec 2024

Home Care

Govt bows to pressure on delaying full implementation of Support at Home pricing

In what appears to be another concession to its reform agenda, the Federal Government has revealed overnight that it will stage the introduction of price caps on services in the new Support at Home program over a 12-month period.

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Lauren Broomham

13 Dec 2024

Aged Care

Australia’s residential aged care sector facing “crisis in care availability”: UARC

The latest report from the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC) has reinforced the challenges facing the sector and Government in meeting the growing demand for new beds and tightening staffing requirements. The 134-page ‘Australia’s Aged...

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Lauren Broomham

12 Dec 2024

Government Policy

Is this the only way badly needed new aged care beds will be built?

Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown, through council general manager Greg Doyle, has written to NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully to consider a scheme to incentivise investment in residential aged care on the NSW South Coast. The...

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Ian Horswill

18 Dec 2024

Aged Care

2024 Year in Review: Aged Care

In this edition of our 2024 Year in Review, we look back at the most significant aged care stories of the year.

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Caroline Egan

18 Dec 2024

Community Living

2024 Year in Review: Community Living

The Weekly SOURCE looks back at the past 12 months in the community living sector. With its momentum hampered by high interest rates, the retirement living sector in October came under attack from the ABC, aided and abetted by Centre Alliance...

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Ian Horswill

16 Dec 2024

Government Policy

RLC facts win the day in ABC 7.30 driven Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) review of retirement villages

Last Wednesday (10 December), the meeting of COAG was swayed that the States should stay responsible for retirement villages and new Federal regulations were not required.

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Chris Baynes

16 Dec 2024

Home Care

Late March release of Support at Home detail leaves 62 working days for implementation

The Department of Health and Aged Care has revealed that “advice on pricing will be provided before the end of the year ahead of more detailed advice by the end of March 2025” in a Support at Home webinar held last Thursday 5 December. The advice...

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Caroline Egan

12 Dec 2024

Sector Moves & People

Which aged care provider has been awarded a $136M contract to conduct assessments under new Single Assessment System?

The Department of Health and Aged Care has released details of contracts worth nearly $1.5 billion awarded to operators to conduct aged care assessments under the new Single Assessment System. The largest contract, worth more than $226 million, was...

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Caroline Egan

12 Dec 2024

Government Policy

Reform roadmap on the agenda for inaugural meeting of Aged Care Transition Taskforce

The Aged Care Transition Taskforce (ACTT) has released a summary of what was discussed at its inaugural meeting, held on 28 November 2024. Members discussed the importance of having a central point of contact where the sector can communicate...

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Caroline Egan

11 Dec 2024

Sector Moves & People

Two key Dept architects of the aged care reforms are moving to new jobs

Michael Lye, the Deputy Secretary, Ageing and Aged Care, and Nick Morgan, Assistant Secretary, Support at Home Reform, with the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) have new jobs in the public sector that will shift them away from aged care, only months before significant reforms are scheduled to be implemented.

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Caroline Egan

11 Dec 2024

Mergers & Acquisitions

Sale price for Kiama Council’s Blue Haven Bonaira aged care home slashed by $6M

Perth-based aged care provider Hall & Prior will pay $89 million for the Council-built 134-bed aged care home in Kiama, south of Sydney, down from the $95 million original price tag, after additional building defects were identified.

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Caroline Egan

11 Dec 2024