Senate Inquiry highlights Support at Home concerns
The reporting deadline for the Senate Inquiry into the Transition of the CHSP into Support at Home has been quietly extended by two months.
The CHSP Transition Inquiry, which is examining transition timelines and system impacts, has received 125 submissions and convened two hearings. Stakeholders have consistently raised concerns about the design of Support at Home, urging the Government to resolve these issues before integrating the significantly larger CHSP cohort.
Submissions to this inquiry are now closed, but the reporting date has been extended from 15 April 2026 to 23 June 2026. There was no official announcement of the change.
In parallel, the Support at Home Senate Inquiry – a recommendation of last year’s Aged Care Service Delivery Senate Inquiry (both are chaired by Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne) – is examining consumer co-contributions and the adequacy of financial hardship provisions under Support at Home, among other program design features.
Despite submissions remaining open until 31 July 2026, only five have been published to date. The inquiry is scheduled to report on 24 November 2026, with stakeholder engagement expected to build in the coming months.
Submissions cite operator concerns
In a submission to the Support at Home inquiry, Gaynor Lowndes, CEO of NSW home care provider HomeCare Australia, which has been in operation for 15 years, said she is “deeply concerned” about the impact of Support at Home on her 85 clients.
She cites co-contributions, the 10% care management cap, price rises, and Interim funding as key pressure points.
Clients are already refusing services due to co-contributions, she said, warning the trend could drive avoidable hospitalisations.
Interim Packages have also led to her reconsider taking on higher-level Support at Home clients, with the risk without the full funding deemed too high.
To offset the removal of package management fees, HomeCare Australia has increased prices by $30 per hour, although they remain one of the lowest-cost providers in their area.
“I don’t know whether I can afford to stay in business,” Gaynor said, saying further price rises would be “morally” difficult.
Rationing by design
In another submission to the Senate Inquiry into Support at Home, Tasmanian Clinical Nursing Home Care Consultant and Registered Nurse, Palantina Hughes, argued Support at Home cannot safely support frail, clinically complex older people.
With clinical care, personal care, domestic supports, supervision, allied health, and care management purchased from a single funding pool, the system forces trade-offs between essential elements of care.
For frail older people, she contends, this is not consumer choice but a “rationing mechanism” based on what can be sacrificed: “showers versus meals, continence support versus hygiene and laundry, wound care versus supervision”.
The downstream effect, she warns, is cost-shifting to hospitals, residential aged care and unpaid carers rather than genuine system savings.
Women disproportionally impacted
A submission from Ravi Krishnamurthy, President, Australian Multicultural Action Network (AMAN), a national peak for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, said navigating Support at Home remains extremely challenging for CALD seniors.
Co-contributions are creating financial stress, with a disproportionate impact on older women and migrants with no superannuation.
Financial hardship provisions are underutilised, he notes, with many older people unaware they exist or unable to navigate the application process.
Message to Minister: Fight for changes
Submissions from consumers echo these concerns.
One 75-year-old pensioner with lung cancer, a brain tumour, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), pseudogout, and hiatus hernia, wrote: “I don’t know how long I will be able to pay for my services, and eat and pay bills.
“I hope the Minister will be able to fight successfully for changes.”
Notably, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has yet to lodge a submission, despite being the only witness at a hastily convened hearing on the last sitting day for more than five weeks.
The Senate Inquiry review of the Aged Care Rules and Legislative Instruments has attracted 48 submissions to date, with no fixed reporting date.
You can access details about the Support at Home Senate Inquiry, including submissions, here.
