the Aged Care Today magazine featured articles

While we should always look ahead towards our shared goal, we must not forget the huge achievements we’ve made so far.

Securing bipartisan support for a new rights-based Aged Care Act, alongside critical financial reforms such as consumer co-contributions, marked a real turning point for aged care in Australia. These changes will shape the future of care for generations to come. But it was never a given. In fact, there were times when it felt like it might not happen at all.

The team at Ageing Australia was deeply engaged in this process from start to finish. While we may not have been making headlines every day, we were, and are, consistently at the table – building trust, shaping reforms and advocating for practical, sustainable change. And with the myriad challenges of implementing the new legislation now looming large, particularly for our home and community care members, that couldn’t be more important.

Our engagement spanned the political spectrum, bringing together parliamentarians, the Department of Health and Aged Care, and the public to ensure the sector’s voice – and the case for critical change – was heard.

Negotiations were not always smooth sailing. At times, we faced deadlocks, and with a federal election on the horizon, the risk of aged care becoming a political football loomed large. If bipartisan agreement had not been reached before the summer parliamentary break, the progress we fought for could have been lost in election turmoil. But we got there.

Now, the real challenge begins – implementing the extensive reforms brought by the new Aged Care Act. Our sector’s leaders – our members – are prepared to step up once again, ensuring these changes translate into real, tangible improvements in care quality and accessibility.

And while we support the Act’s rights-based approach, we fully acknowledge there are imperfections. Some of the implementation timelines are so ambitious, they verge on impossible.

After years of government inaction, we finally have solutions emerging for the financial crisis in residential aged care, yet the outlook for home care remains much less certain. Many critical implementation details are still missing, making it near impossible for providers to plan effectively. And we know that the challenges of financial sustainability are growing ever larger for those moving into support at home, and those Commonwealth Home Support Programme providers who will be left behind until that program merges after 1 July 2027.

The worst-case scenario? Older Australians receiving worse care on 1 July than they did on 30 June because of rushed implementation. That is simply unacceptable. And no one in the sector wants this to play out – we’re all here because we want to care for, support and improve the lives of older people.

We only get one chance to get this right. If we fail, the consequences for older Australians – now and in the future – will be dire. But I remain optimistic.

Our advocacy has already delivered results, including the Government’s decision to delay price caps for the Support at Home scheme. This provides much-needed breathing space for providers and signals that our voice continues to be heard.

The establishment of a Transition Taskforce, with Ageing Australia as a key member, is another critical step forward. This platform gives us the opportunity to influence implementation and ensure reforms are practical, achievable and beneficial to older Australians.

This year, the wins may be less dramatic than those of the 2024 – but they will be no less important. Sustainable progress in aged care reform is a marathon, not a sprint. With the unwavering dedication of our sector’s leaders, we will continue to push forward, ensuring a stronger, fairer and more sustainable aged care system for all.