Aged Care Minister defends 20K aged care packages amidst criticism

Aged Care and Seniors Minister Sam Rae has framed the federal government’s decision to fast-track the release of 20,000 home care packages for older Australians by the end of October as a strategic “bringing forward” of already planned support.

However, this timeline shift only followed a parliamentary vote and intense pressure from the Coalition, Greens, and crossbenchers, for immediate action on aged care, particularly given the government's initial opposition to such a measure in the Senate.

The fast-track amendment, moved by ACT independent Senator David Pocock, passed the Senate without a division, though the government formally recorded its opposition.

Across a series of media interviews following last Wednesday's announcement, Minister Rae framed the decision to release the 20,000 home care packages as a strategic “bringing forward” of funds from the 83,000 additional packages announced last year for the new Support at Home program.

“There's a bit of a misunderstanding here about the nature of the program changeover and the transformation that's currently occurring,” Minister Rae told 4BC Breakfast's Peter Fegan.

He went on to explain that the Support at Home program, part of the government’s overhaul of in-home care, requires legislative instruments not yet in place, making an earlier commencement impossible.

As a result of this roadblock, the government opted to put the 20,000 packages being released into the existing Home Care Packages program to address immediate demand.

“Right now, we have that Home Care Packages program, the one that we know is not meeting community needs and expectations. That's why ahead of 1 November, we're going through the process of transitioning people to the Support at Home program,” Minister Rae explained.

“Support at Home can't start until the legislation comes into effect on 1 November. So a lot of the conversation has been about whether or not Support at Home could start earlier. And because we don't have the legislative instruments in place, that is just not the case.”

Despite Minister Rae’s emphasis on bipartisanship, telling ABC Radio on Thursday that the Albanese government has always “taken a principled approach to pursuing bipartisanship”, the opposition was quick to highlight that Minister Rae was reportedly excluded from the key negotiations between the government and the Coalition that led to the agreement.

Health Minister Mark Butler, announcing the accelerated rollout, stated it reflected “an agreed position” between the government and the Liberals.

He outlined the full schedule for the 83,000 packages: 20,000 by the end of October, a further 20,000 between 1 November and 31 December, and the remaining 43,000 in the first six months of next year.

With figures indicating 121,000 awaiting assessment and nearly 109,000 waiting for packages, Minister Rae conceded to Sky News, that the number of Australians waiting for care was “too high,” yet he maintained that the Albanese government's reform program is designed to address this demand.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and aged care spokeswoman Anne Ruston have criticised the government, stating that Labor had “decided to withhold support” for the 83,000 packages promised from 1 July 2025, even though the sector was ready.

They claimed “not a single new home care package has been released this financial year,” leading to a priority waitlist blowout of over 108,000, a “400 per cent increase in just two years.”

More legislation passed

Last week also saw the passage of the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Bill, marking yet another crucial step towards to implementation of the new Aged Care Act.

Following the passage of the legislation, Minister Rae expressed pride in the government’s actions.

“This is a fantastic outcome for older Australians and their families who have the certainty that more care is on the way, and a fantastic outcome for the aged care providers and workers who care for the people we love,” he said.

“This legislation is the final piece of the puzzle that paves the way for the commencement of the new Aged Care Act, and our new Support at Home program.

“We’re proud to have made this responsible decision to deliver more care, faster, to the older Australians who need it most.”