Two new Senate inquiries to examine Support at Home, co-payment impacts

The Senate has voted to establish two further inquiries into Labor’s aged care reforms, amid growing concerns that the recently enacted legislation will place undue burden on older Australians.

This parliamentary action comes as the new Aged Care Act, which commenced on November 1, has already led to older Australians facing increased costs for care, with fears that some may be forced to forgo services entirely.

These new investigations build upon a previous Senate inquiry into aged care service delivery, which uncovered a larger aged care waitlist than previously reported – impacting over 200,000 Australians – and was instrumental in forcing the early release of 20,000 home care packages.

Now, with the Act in force, the first of the two newly established inquiries will scrutinise the government’s planned transition away from the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).

The program currently provides at-home support to more than 800,000 older Australians through block-funded services. The government’s intention to transition CHSP to the new Support at Home program, with CHSP funding only secured until June 30, 2027, has raised concerns that existing services could be forced to close, potentially exacerbating already lengthy aged care waitlists.

The second probe, the Community home support program inquiry, will investigate the transition timeline; the expected impact on waiting periods; the lifetime cap of $15,000 on home modifications; and the effects on thin markets. It will also assess aged care provider readiness and workforce implications, with a report due by 15 April 2026.

This investigation will specifically examine the impacts of new pricing mechanisms and co-payments, as critics argue that new co-payments could see older Australians paying up to $50 per hour for basic care.

Residential care costs are also rising, with half of all older Australians expected to pay more to enter facilities.

The co-payments inquiry will assess the financial security and wellbeing impacts of these contributions, the adequacy of financial hardship assistance, and the flow-on effects on residential aged care and hospitals.

It will also consider the implications for First Nations communities and culturally and linguistically diverse communities, with a report expected by the last parliamentary sitting week of November, 2026.

Both inquiries will be chaired by Greens spokesperson for older people, senator Penny Allman-Payne, who also chaired the Senate inquiry into aged care service delivery.

“Older people across the country - hundreds of thousands of whom are on fixed incomes - are copping increased costs for their care at home so that privatised aged care providers can make bigger profits. That’s a broken system,” she said.

“Aged care should not be for profit. 

“While 1 in 3 big corporations pay no tax, but older Australians can’t get basic help they need, something is seriously wrong.”

The senator said the Australian Greens will “ensure older Australians and their advocates are heard,” promising to fight for an improved system that allows every older person to access care services when they need them.

“Older Australians are still dying waiting a year or more for care, and rather than boost needed supports like the Community Home Support Program, they’re planning to close them,” she said.

“Our parents and grandparents deserve to be looked after in their old age, not forced to choose between a shower each day and a meal.”