The Minister for Aged Care has said the Government’s Aged Care Taskforce will consider a levy to help fund residential aged care, despite ruling out a levy during last year’s election campaign.
Minister Wells told the ABC’s Insider program on Sunday, a levy was one of two funding recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and, as such, should be considered by the Taskforce, which has been set up to advise the Government on making aged care funding more fair and equitable.
She said attendees at last week’s Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) Financial Sustainability Summit, where there was an in-principle agreement that greater consumer contributions were key to modernising aged care funding, were preparing a White Paper outlining their suggestions.
“I can’t wait to read that,” the Minister said.
ACCPA will release the White Paper on aged care funding to the Government in the coming months.
The Taskforce will release interim advice to the Government in October 2023 and make a recommendation package to the,Government in December
The Shadow Minister for Aged Care Anne Ruston told ABC Radio last Friday there were many ways to fund the shortfall in aged care funding.
"Putting a tax or a levy on the table up fr
ont, quite frankly, is a lazy way to go," she said
