The Senate Inquiry launched last month by Independent Senator David Pocock received 55 submissions – and one message rang through them all: Australia needs more Home Care Packages, and it needs them urgently.
The Inquiry was called last month after the Government rejected calls by a coalition led by Senator Pocock calling for 20,000 Home Care Packages to be released urgently.
The key function of the Inquiry is to look at the impacts of the Government's decision to delay the release of 83,000 additional Home Care Packages when it decided to postpone the rollout of the new Aged Care Act.
The Government has given no reason for the decision to withhold new Home Care Packages. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's submission states in the March 2025 quarter, 35,613 Home Care Packages were released, an average of 2,739 per week. The Department has yet to provide a response to The Weekly SOURCE on whether these Packages were new or reissued (due to the holder entering aged care or dying).
The hundreds of pages of submissions contain many devastating accounts of the impacts of the delays. We publish some of those accounts below:
Whiddon
Client A (Campbeltown region) began receiving CHSP services in November 2024. As their condition deteriorated, a reassessment was requested via My Aged Care on 24 January 2025. The coordinator followed up repeatedly on 12 February, 5 March, 23 April, 14 May, 17 June, and 7 July. The reassessment finally occurred on 18 June 2025, by which time the client was bedbound. Despite this, they were deemed not urgent enough for immediate funding and were placed on a waitlist for a Level 4 package. The client passed away on 8 July 2025, just weeks after the assessment and before any additional support could be provided.
See Me Aged Care Navigators
Client B was assessed in January 2025. Her needs were high and complex. She was approved for CHSP services, including domestic assistance and personal care. The provider who accepted the referral code for domestic assistance commenced this service, but 3 weeks later the support worker resigned, and another support worker was not offered. No provider has offered personal care and at the time of contacting our service, Lily had not been able to shower for 3 months.
mecwacare
As a provider of both in-home and residential aged care, mecwacare is witnessing significant and concerning impacts on older Australians due to the delay in the Support at Home program and the withholding of additional Home Care Packages. Seniors are experiencing worsening physical and emotional health as they wait for essential support.
Silverchain
Client C, our CHSP client in her 70s, lives alone and faces significant daily challenges due to lymphoedema, Type 2 Diabetes, bowel incontinence, and numbness in her limbs, which severely limit her mobility and safety at home. She has been approved for a Level 3 Home Care Package but is still waiting for it. In the meantime, she receives domestic assistance and personal care from Silverchain under CHSP. Linda struggles with personal hygiene, cleaning, and cooking, often injuring herself due to numbness in her hands. Unable to get out of bed, she now sleeps in a recliner. Recent bowel incontinence episodes have made Linda anxious about leaving home, further isolating her. Assessed as needing HCP Level 3, she is currently making do with CHSP services that fall short of her actual needs.
UnitingCare Australia
After years of caring for her husband alone, a woman was struggling to cope. Her husband had originally been assessed for entry-level aged care support under the CHSP, but as his care needs increased, the couple sought a HCP. They waited seven months for a reassessment – a delay that only ended after the wife called the Aged Care Assessment Team four times over two months, requesting action. The reassessment was finally completed in June, with the husband approved for a Level 3 package on a medium priority. After four weeks with no communication, the wife called again – only to be told they were facing a further nine-month wait for the package to be assigned. The wife, under significant strain, told ACAT she had developed a plan to end both her and her husband’s lives if help didn’t arrive immediately. Her husband, distressed by the impact his needs were having, was supportive of her plan. In response, ACAT escalated the husband’s priority level to “high,” and the couple’s HCP was allocated within the week. With services now being put in place, the couple is feeling some relief – but their story illustrates the consequences of delays in Home Care Package allocation.
Anglicare Australia
A client lives with dementia and was assessed as needing a Level 4 package. Despite this, his case was given only medium priority. The delay meant he had to stop attending a day program that had provided vital input for him as well as essential respite for his wife, who is now facing extreme fatigue and isolation. His story highlights how delays not only harm older people but also push carers to breaking point.
Anglicare Australia agencies have shared concerns over the wellbeing of staff where they are supporting clients with entirely inadequate funding arrangements.
Bolton Clarke
There have been significant challenges with the introduction of the Single Assessment Workforce, including delays in assessments being conducted, assessments being conducted via telehealth inappropriately and assessment outcomes that do not appear to appropriately reflect client need.
Martin Peebles
This week David Pocock's office referred The Weekly SOURCE to Martin Peebles, a former Veteran who lives alone in western Sydney and has two types of cancer. Martin is receiving services through a Home Care Package, but was advised by his GP he needs additional support to help him with his osteoporosis.
After calling My Aged Care in June, Martin was told he will have to wait up to six weeks for a reassessment. However, Martin has still not had his reassessment, and has been told by his provider the wait is likely to be up to six months.
"I think the whole system is broken," Marin told The Weekly SOURCE. "I'm glad David is doing this Senate Inquiry.
"I've paid for tax all my life and I've also served my country. I'm not asking for anything I don't think I'm entitled to."
