The Albanese Government needs to urgently release more Home Care Packages after a recent damning report showed median wait times for Packages have more than doubled, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster said today.

“The Albanese Government missed a huge opportunity on Friday to address home care in their new health funding agreement, after Labor’s calamitous rollout of the new Aged Care Act in November,” Dr Webster said.

“How on earth will Labor get to their 3-month Home Care Package wait time target by 2027 without releasing more packages urgently?  Waits have expanded from 3 months in 2023/4 to almost 8 months, on average.  Mallee constituents are reaching out to me appalled that their loved one can’t get the home care that they need and deserve.”

“Labor are treating senior Australians appallingly, particularly in the regions.”

The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services indicated late last week that while median wait times have grown from 118 days in 2023/4 to 245 in 2024/5, medium priority cases had grown from 138 to 324 days over the same period.  The Report also found that the time taken to get into a nursing home has grown from 136 to 162 days, with high priority cases steady at 40 days.

Over 42 per cent of respondents to Dr Webster’s Mallee’s Biggest Survey in mid-2025 who stated they needed home care said it was hard to access, with a further 21 per cent saying they found home care hard to afford. Only one quarter – 25 per cent – said home care was accessible and affordable in Mallee.

As former Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, Dr Webster convened the Regional Aged Care Summit in Mildura in July 2023, which found that:

“the silent waiting lists for elderly regional Australians – namely access to ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Teams) and the time lag between home care package approval and implementation – remains unfairly delayed in regional Australia.  2022 data shows that more than 50,000 older Australians died while waiting for approved home care since July 2017.”

The Council for Older Australians (COTA) said on Saturday that ‘urgent action’ on home care packages is required, saying “No one should ever have to wait more than 30 days for the care they need.”

Dr Webster said Labor’s 3 month wait-time target disrespects older Australians.

“Peak bodies like COTA are saying nobody should wait more than 30 days, so why is Labor aiming for 90 days?  Our older Australians have given so much and deserve the dignity of support in their own home, in a timely manner,” Dr Webster said.

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