Uniting NSW.ACT calls for delay to CHSP/Support at Home merger
The Not For Profit provider says it would be premature for the Australian Government to transition more than 880,000 clients over to the new Support at Home program within 18 months.
In an 18-page submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Transition of the Commonwealth Home Support Program into Support at Home, Uniting NSW.ACT is recommending the transition be delayed by up to five years.
The delay, according to Uniting, would provide Support at Home enough time to mature and to allow time for a considered review of how the two programs – CHSP and Support at Home – should be integrated.
The CHSP, which offers entry-level support to older people at home, is cost effective and “steps in where other services cannot”, the Not For Profit states.
Speaking to The Weekly SOURCE on Monday (9 February), Saviour Buhagiar, Uniting NSW.ACT’s Director of Seniors Services, said using their NDIS experience as a guide, Support at Home should be given time to settle in.
“It’s only been less than three months,” he said.
“We still have a number of people on the waiting list. We still have a number of reforms, such as co-payments to settle.”
Saviour said he would like to see wait times for home care down to the Government’s promised three months before any transition, currently indicated for 1 July 2027 or later.
Senate Estimates heard last December that as of 31 October 2025, there were 107,281 people waiting for a Home Care Package (now Support at Home) at their assessed level of need. The average time from assessment approval to Package assignment ranged up to eight months.
CHSP’s grant funding is cost-efficient: submission
In 2023-24, the Australian Government provided around $3 billion for the delivery of CHSP services, with an average Government expenditure per person of approximately $3,600. By comparison, the lowest budget for a Level 1 Home Care Package was $10,931 per year.
“This [difference] is achieved through the efficiency of grant funded programs,” the submission states.
“Providers can streamline administrative requirements, tailor services according to community need and deliver services at a lower cost under bulk purchasing arrangements.”
Grant funding also provides financial stability for providers, particularly in regional and remote communities where demand for services can be variable or limited to a small market.
“The reliability of grant funding allows providers to expand into underserved and thin markets with the confidence that a consistent funding base will provide long term sustainability.”
The UTS Aged Care Sector report for 2024-25 found that while people in rural and remote areas were underrepresented among Home Care Package (now Support at Home) recipients (relative to their share of the aged care target population), they are over-represented in their use of the CHSP.
CHSP funding increase urgently required
Uniting NSW.ACT recommends a CHSP funding increase as an urgent priority to address the increased need for services.
A 2024 report by Anglicare Australia found 100% of aged care providers surveyed were unable to meet demand for CHSP services. Uniting is currently at 102% of their funded CHSP services.
Co-contributions need tweaking
Saviour said Uniting NSW.ACT has consistently advocated for co-contributions – however there are caveats.
“There are some people with vulnerabilities, i.e. people who have essential needs like showering, and those who are renting for whom co-contributions need to be adjusted,” he said.
Cottage-based respite retained
During the recent transition of Home Care Packages to Support at Home, cottage respite was removed from Support at Home.
As a result, Commonwealth funded cottage-based respite care is now only available at home or in a residential aged care facility.
“The removal of cottage respite from Support at Home has meant that there is a significant risk that access to home-like, community-based respite is limited onto to those with the means to pay full fees,” the submission states.
Uniting NSW.ACT has three cottage-based respite centres. Another was planned in Unanderra in the Illawarra, where there are significant issues with older patients stranded in hospital due to aged care bed shortages.
But the new facility is on hold, Saviour said, and the operator is considering its options.
Submissions to the Senate Inquiry closed on 30 January 2026. In total, 105 submissions have been published on the Inquiry’s website. A Canberra hearing was held last week, and another will be hosted in Brisbane on 16 February. The Inquiry is due to report on 15 April 2026.
Uniting NSW.ACT is one of Australia’s largest aged care operators, with more than 4,500 CHSP and 3,300 Support at Home clients, 70 residential aged care homes, and 90 retirement and independent living villages.
