The Minister for Aged Care has been forced to concede the wait times for Home Care Packages have blown out under the Albanese Government but has promised that from 1 July 2025, a record number of Packages will enter the system as her Government brings aged care "back from the brink".
The latest Department of Health and Aged Care data shows the Home Care Package allocation is only worsening, with more than 25,000 people waiting on a Package in NSW, 16,000 in Victoria and more than 12,000 in Queensland. According to evidence to Senate Estimates from November last year, older people are waiting three to six months for a Level 1 Package (low acuity), and 12-15 months for a Level 4 Package (high acuity).
Speaking with Sky News' Political Editor, Andrew Clennell, Minister Wells agreed the home care waiting list is up to 15 months in some cases.
"Do you think you’ve solved the aged care crisis or do you have some real challenges given these waiting lists?" Andrew asked the Minister.
Minister Wells said the previous Morrison Government "did pour money into Home Care Packages", causing the wait times to come down.
"It was an easy political fix ahead of an election rather than the actual arduous, difficult policy and structural work that we have undertaken this term to secure a bipartisan agreement to set aged care up for the future," she said, referring to the new Aged Care Act.
"I appreciate people waiting. That’s what happens when you have an aged care sector in crisis and neglected for the nine long years it was."
Under the previous Government, the number of Home Care Packages increased to 233,000 (with 275,000 available by 2023) with the wait time reduced to below six months for all levels.
Minister Wells underlined the fact the $5 billion Support at Home program will see a record number of 83,000 Packages enter the system in 2025-26 from 1 July, "more in one year than any previous Government has ever attempted".
However, with only 7,615 Home Care Packages announced in the Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) in December, the issue of home care wait times is unlikely to be resolved soon.