The Shire of Manjimup Council has voted unanimously in support of a plan to seek Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the Council's home care and residential aged care services.
The assets include a home care service, the Moonya Aged Care Home (run by BaptistCare), and land promised for a future aged care home.
The minutes from an August meeting of Manjimup Council, which administers an area of 7,000 square km, 300km south of Perth, said the aged care sector is undergoing unprecedented change.
"Federal reforms, particularly the rollout of the Support at Home Program in November 2025, along with funding model changes, regulatory complexity, and growing demand, have increased risks and costs for local government providers. In Western Australia, there is a growing trend for local governments to be less operational in the delivery of aged care services."
A spokesperson for BaptistCare told The Weekly SOURCE, they have been providing care at Moonya since 2001 and are participating in the EOI process to help secure the home's long-term future.
Moonya Home and Community Care provides services for about 400 clients in the area, and has a team of "dedicated" staff, while the aged care home operates at a 5-15% surplus.
About 100 local councils have made the decision to get out of in-home care ahead of the incoming reforms, approximately one in five of all Australia's local councils.
