26/08/2025
Last Friday, Baptist Care Australia made a submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into Aged Care Service Delivery, calling for the immediate release of additional Home Care Packages to address the growing crisis facing older Australians.
Our submission highlighted the urgent need for government action, with thousands of older Australians currently waiting up to nine months for assessment and access to appropriate care. We emphasized that our members are maintaining people with complex needs on inadequate low-level packages, providing considerable unfunded support due to delays in accessing higher-level care.
Key points from our submission include:
- Immediate release of 20,000 packages before November 1
- Concerns about workforce capacity built up in anticipation of the delayed July package release
- The need to restore care management funding from 10% back to 20% of package funding
- Urgent requirement for certainty around ICT system readiness for the November 1 implementation
Baptist Care Australia continues to advocate for the over 20,000 older Australians we support in their homes, calling for a system that truly meets their assessed needs without delay.