JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Senator Anne Ruston
Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care
Senator for South Australia

Dr Anne Webster MP
Shadow Minister for Regional Health
Shadow Minister for Regional Communications
Federal Member for Mallee

Labor must provide certainty on the future of Community Aged Care

Thursday 25 June 2026

More than 860,000 older Australians face being left without essential support services after a Senate inquiry confirmed the Albanese Government has no credible plan for the future of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) beyond 1 July 2027.

Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Anne Ruston, said the inquiry findings laid bare the scale of the risk facing older Australians, with the Government yet to explain how hundreds of thousands of people will continue to receive meals, transport, domestic assistance and social connection services if CHSP funding disappears.

"The overwhelming message from this inquiry is that CHSP works and older Australians want certainty about its future," Senator Ruston said.

"CHSP provides practical, low-level support such as meals, transport, domestic assistance and social connection services that help older Australians stay in their homes for longer and avoid more intensive and costly care."

"The evidence presented to the inquiry clearly demonstrated that CHSP fills a unique role in the aged care system and should not be sacrificed because of Labor's ideological obsession with centralising aged care services."

Senator Ruston said the inquiry raised serious concerns about the Government's lack of planning for the future of CHSP beyond 1 July 2027.

"More than 200,000 Australians are already waiting for an aged care assessment or a Support at Home package. The Government has no credible plan to absorb hundreds of thousands more people into a system that is already struggling to meet demand."

"The longer the Government delays providing certainty, the greater the risk that older Australians will miss out on the care they need, experience declining health outcomes, and be forced into hospital or residential aged care earlier than necessary."

Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Anne Webster MP, said the inquiry also highlighted the importance of retaining block funding arrangements, particularly for regional, rural and remote communities.

"Providers consistently told the inquiry that block funding remains one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to deliver aged care services, especially in regional Australia," Dr Webster said.

"The evidence showed that some services can cost 40 to 50 per cent more to deliver under individualised funding models than under CHSP's existing block funding arrangements."

"For many regional and remote communities, block funding provides the flexibility needed to respond to local demand, maintain workforce capacity and ensure services remain viable."

"Older Australians should not lose access to essential services because the Government is pursuing reforms without a clear plan for how they will work on the ground."

Senator Ruston said the inquiry findings add to growing concerns about the Government's broader management of aged care reform.

"Whether it's the rollout of Support at Home, the growing waiting lists, or the Government's failure to address concerns about the Integrated Assessment Tool, Labor has repeatedly demonstrated it is more focused on bureaucracy than delivering care."

"The Coalition will continue to advocate for policies that improve access to aged care services, reduce waiting times and ensure older Australians can access the support they need, when and where they need it."

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