Last month, the Victorian local Council announced plans to hand its home care service delivery over to specialist local providers. However, protests from the community, unions, and members of State Parliament stalled the decision.

Now, the City of Greater Geelong Council, which covers an area about 75km southwest of Melbourne, has asked the Federal Government for "several million" dollars in additional funding to provide "certainty" while they consider their future aged care strategy.

Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM said, "We have engaged with the relevant federal department in regard to additional funding to support us to continue to provide the service, but to date those discussions have been disappointing.

The Mayor said the Government's in-home care reforms coming in on 1 July 2025 "have put us in this difficult position".

Without additional funding, the Council will be required to find "several millions of dollars per annum out of operations" to subsidise the Council's aged care services, he said.

"The changes from the Commonwealth Government have created funding uncertainty, and we would need to invest considerably to continue our operations, including upgrades to our IT systems to ensure compliance.

"The community has told us that they want certainty in the aged care space, and we agree – that’s why we’re calling on the Commonwealth Government to commit to aged care by providing the additional funding.

"We can’t do this alone."

It's estimated only about one quarter of Victoria's local Councils still deliver home care services, with West Wimmera Council, on the border of Victoria and South Australia, the latest to get out ahead of the Department of Health and Aged Care's incoming Support at Home reforms. Last month, NSW's Eurobodalla Council also announced it is getting out of home care after 30 years. 

Even after 1 July, the home care sector is facing years of reform. The current Home Care Package program will be replaced by Support at Home from 1 July 2025, and with the reforms less than two months away the sector still has not been provided with the complete details. The Commonwealth Home Support Program, the home care services most often provided by councils, will be rolled into Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.