The number of Australians waiting for a Home Care Package has jumped to 121,909 – up 26% in just three months – as fresh data reveals the full scale of the home care backlog.

In a letter to Health Department Secretary Blair Comley PSM, Shadow Aged Care Minister Anne Ruston (pictured) requested updated figures ahead of Senate Estimates held yesterday (Thursday 9 October).

According to data from the Department’s Ageing and Aged Care Data Warehouse, 96,709 people were waiting for a Home Care Package at their approved level as at 30 June 2025. By 30 September, that figure had risen to 121,909.

At the same time, 116,339 older Australians were still waiting to be assessed under the Single Assessment System, compared to 121,596 at the end of July 2025. 15,998 people were receiving a Package below their assessed level of need.

The Department confirmed the data was extracted on 7 October 2025, just weeks before the new Aged Care Act 2024 and Support at Home program take effect on 1 November.

The figures come less than two months after a Senate Inquiry heard that nearly 5,000 people died last year waiting for their approved Package and amid criticism over the Government’s earlier decision to delay the release of 83,000 new Packages until November. When the Albanese government came to power, the wait list for a home care package of any leve as 30 to 90 days.

Facing pressure from crossbenchers, Aged Care Minister Sam Rae and Health Minister Mark Butlerreversed the freeze, committing to release 20,000 Packages by 1 November, a further 20,000 by the end of 2025, and another 43,000 by mid-2026.

Minister Rae said earlier this week that more than 6,600 Packages have already been released, with 10,000 more due by the end of this week.

But with median wait times still stretching up to 11 months (see below), the backlog will take much longer to clear – even as the Support at Home reforms begin.