With the Federal Budget now just 12 days away, there remains ‘crickets’ in terms of business guidance for a $35 billion industry. Executives and boards are holding off big and small decisions, waiting for the answers to these three big questions:
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What is the Albanese Government’s response to its own Taskforce’s 23 recommendations? Aged Care Minister Anika Wells chaired the Taskforce and the Department and Government has had the report for 20 weeks – that is almost half a year!
StewartBrown has modelled that these changes would bring an estimated $3.76 billion of additional funding to residential aged care and home care providers every year once in full force.
That is an extra 10% revenue from Government. I assume that would influence planning by executives and boards – if they knew it was coming.
Chris Marmarelis (pictured), CEO of Whiddon, with 19 aged care homes plus Home Care, says it's time for the Albanese Government to be brave. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity where quality aged care can be secured for the future.
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Will the Fair Work Commission (FWC) accept or reject the Government’s request to stagger the latest 3 to 15.5% wage increase for aged care staff.
A full increase will mean far easier retention and recruitment of staff. The Government’s staged implementation will likely kill this positive outcome.
The bill for this new rise has been costed at around $3.3 billion by StewartBrown. That is a lot of cash. And doesn’t the Government need to know the final outcome to put it in the budget forward estimates as well?
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Will the Government fund significantly more home care packages to solve the 51,000 people now waiting for access?
Recent data shows that the home care wait list is now 35% greater than 12 months ago.
ACCPA has called for 80,000 new Packages in its pre-Budget submission. Bolton Clarke’s Executive General Manager Policy & Advocacy, Tim Hicks put the number required at perhaps a more realistic 40,000.
If there are no new packages then more people will move into residential care earlier than they may have needed, which means more residential staff will be required, but if they are not going to receive the full 15% wage rise they may be hard to find. Another Catch 22.
Will Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese resolve these questions on 14 May and deliver the country the quality aged care they committed to in 2022?
