DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories
Shadow Minister for Regional Communications
Member for Mallee

Annecto collapse leaves Mallee residents in ‘transition’ limbo from 1 July

Thursday 12 June 2025

The shock announcement that Annecto will cease operations across Australia in just 3 weeks will have a huge impact on 3,000 vulnerable people, including the aged and people living with disabilities, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said this morning.  Annecto announced on their website they would be ceasing operations in Victoria, NSW, Qld and the ACT on 1 July.

Annecto Chair Colleen Furnaletto OAM said “We are working closely with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the National Disability Insurance Agency, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and other key stakeholders to ensure the seamless transition of our customers and staff to trusted and quality accredited providers.”

Dr Webster despaired that transition would not be ‘seamless’ but be more like limbo for regional Victorians, given what is an already dire workforce shortage. 

“I worry about clients’ wellbeing if continuity of service cannot be secured,” Dr Webster said.

“In my former role as Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health I was saying for 2 ½ years that the Albanese Labor Government’s approach to aged care was disconnected with the realities in regional Australia and was pushing services to the brink.

“I called a Regional Aged Care Summit in mid-2023 due to my concerns, and I said as recently as late April that the aged care sector was faced with Mission Impossible complying with Labor’s 1 July timeline, including the former Minister’s callous process on the dawn of the election to fund regional home care services.

“With the unachievable 1 July start date looming large, only last Wednesday did the Health Minister at last relent and pushed back the start date to 1 November.”

“The spin, nonsense and disregard for the aged and service providers in regional Australia was just papered over in that 4 June media release.  

“I hope that both Annecto clients and staff get the comprehensive support and genuine transition they deserve through the Albanese Labor Government.

“Mr Albanese keeps repeating his mantra ‘nobody held back – nobody left behind’ – but sadly it looks like that is exactly what will happen for Annecto clients and staff.”

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