COTA Australia's ambitious pre-Budget submission
The national peak body for aged care consumers is calling for a clear transition path to a single home care system but wants Support at Home fixed first.
In its 22-page 2026-27 Federal Budget Pre-Budget Submission, Council on the Ageing (COTA) supports the Government's plan to merge the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) into Support at Home. However, it cautions "implementation and design challenges" with Support at Home need to be addressed before any integration begins.
Support at Home was introduced on 1 November 2025 to replace the Home Care Packages program, but implementation has been plagued with problems.
COTA highlights assessment delays, unexpected assessment outcomes, interim packages delivering "insufficient" support, consumers refusing services due to co-contributions, and consumers cutting back services due to price increases. It also points to complexity with self-managed home care.
"These challenges must be addressed before an integrated (new) Support at Home program commences," the Submission states.
"Older people must not be negatively impacted by the change to a single program, and the system and providers must be ready to continue providing the level and quality of care needed at an affordable price."
COTA urges the Government to provide a "clear transition plan" for the integration of the CHSP and Support at Home, including defined timeframes for consultation, IT build, finalisation of Rules, and other implementation stages.
COTA is also calling for faster access to care. While the Government is committing to deliver services to older people within 90 days by 30 June 2027, COTA says this should be reduced to 30 days - although it notes further demand analysis is needed to set targets.
The Submission, authored by CEO Pat Sparrow and Deputy CEO Corey Irlam, also addresses broader issues affecting older Australians, such as structural barriers that limit economic participation, access to credit and health supports, and confronting ageism.
Read Ageing Australia's Pre-Budget Submission here.
