The Aged Care and Seniors Minister has said the Aged Care Rules have been in place for "a significant amount of time" and the Government has been listening to and supporting the sector.
"So, there really isn't an excuse from any provider to not be prepared for 1 November," he told ABC Radio.
The Aged Care Rules were only finalised in September, giving providers only 38 days with the complete documentation. And a caller to ABC said their organisation is struggling with readiness.
"We are 10 days out and we're sitting in webinars every day getting new information, stuff we haven't heard before. They're changing rules," the caller said.
"We haven't heard how we're going to be doing our claiming for our funding. There's nothing concrete coming. I'm really worried it's just going to be a total disaster and the people that are going to pay for it are going to be people who need care."
The Minister replied, "You never want to hear a provider indicating that they are lacking preparedness for a change but I respectfully don't agree with Margaret's characterisation there.
"The Aged Care Act was passed through the Parliament in the last term of Parliament in 2024, and we have worked really closely with the sector and the Transition Taskforce that represent the sector, the workforce, and, of course, older people themselves to ensure that there is really clear information.
"What the sector have been telling us very clearly is that they are ready to go for 1 November," the Minister said.
He also revealed the Government has released 16,667 of the 20,000 Home Care Packages it was forced to commit to, in return for support to ensure legislation was passed by the Senate. He said the Government is on track to release 20,000 packages by 1 November.
After the Minister's interview, another caller was concerned about older people being asked to pay more for personal care services such as showering. The caller, again a provider, said the fee for showering is going to rise from $88 to $118, a 35% increase. She said the jump has the "potential" to turn people away from these services.
