Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae has told a Melbourne radio audience this week that the new Aged Care Act will commence this year on 1 November no matter what.
“We will not be delaying the implementation of the Act again or the introduction of Support at Home,” Mr Rae told ABC Melbourne Drive on Monday afternoon. “We’re going to stick to the 1 November timeline,” he said seven weeks into the role.
“There are a range of reasons why delaying the Act was the right thing to do. It was a really difficult decision, particularly for a new minister coming into the portfolio, but it was the right thing to do.”
In the 16-minute interview with ABC Melbourne Drive host Mary Gearin, Mr Rae was asked about the wait list blowout for Home Care Packages seen over the past year and how delaying the introduction of an additional 83,000 packages from 1 November is contributing to the problem.
A senate estimates hearing in January 2025 heard there were over 81,000 people in the queue. My Aged Care shows that older people assessed as medium priority are waiting on average between nine and 11 months for their packages.
Mr Rae emphasised that older people assessed as high priority were currently receiving a home care package within a month and that Support at Home will provide a much more sustainable system.
“We are ensuring that everyone who receives a high priority assessment still receives their package within a month. The people that are assigned or assessed as being high priority absolutely will continue to receive their care and the package that supports it within that month,” he said.
According to guidance from the government, high priority is defined as “Client is considered at urgent and immediate risk in terms of their personal safety or at immediate risk of admission into residential care. The client may have a carer and the carer arrangements are unsustainable or the carer is at crisis point.”
“Once we bring in Support at Home on the 1st of November, we’ll be able to start to drive down the waiting list because we’ll bring in those 83,000 additional packages and they’ll be better tailored packages. They’ll be designed so that they meet the needs of the older person in question in a more efficient way. It’s a much more sustainable system,” Mr Rae added.
While the government will cover all care related costs under Support at Home, older people will be asked to pay up to 50 per cent for independence services such as showering, and up to 80 per cent for everyday living services like domestic assistance under new means testing arrangements.
Elsewhere Mr Rae was questioned over the Star Rating for aged care homes, with Ms Gearin repeating a listener comment the system “was like sticking a finger in the air to actually figure out the quality of these facilities” and asking whether this something he was concerned about.
“Respectfully, I don’t agree with that assessment,” Mr Rae said. “We’re seeing the majority of residential facilities receiving 4 or 5 stars these days, which means they are either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.”
The system has experienced several glitches since its introduction in 2022 and an independent analysis 18 months ago exposed contradictions. The government has released two department-commissioned evaluations on the star rating systems this year, the first highlighting the need to improve transparency and choice, and the second showing that different stakeholders largely support proposed design changes.
Mr Rae rejected claims that a rise in the number of stars was meaningless if the assessment was unsound or invalid.
“That’s not the advice that I’ve been getting. I think we have to acknowledge that subjective views will always mean that different people have different views about these things. But we have a system in place that assesses the quality of care being delivered, and it’s based on a whole range of things from personal care through to the type of food that people are receiving. It’s a dynamic system.”
Mr Rae – the member for Hawke – was elevated to minister and the aged care portfolio in May following the last election when Prime Minister Anthony announced a reshuffle that saw the former aged care minister Anika Wells promoted to Minister for Communications in addition to retaining her Minister for Sport role.
“It’s a great privilege for me to be in this role,” Mr Rae told the radio audience.
Mr Rae also acknowledged he is on a steep learning curve, which he is addressing by talking to aged care stakeholders including older people and their families, workers and their representatives, and aged care providers.
“It is a very complex system and I would be lying if I didn’t say that there have been moments where it has felt like I’ve been drinking from the fire hose in terms of my understanding of the system and building my awareness. I’ve been spending the last seven weeks speaking to as many people across the sector as I possibly can,” he said.
Mr Rae said everyone could acknowledge that every older Australian deserves access to high quality care and support as they aged.
“That is whether they’re remaining in their own home or they’re moving into that residential aged care space. Older Australians deserve an aged care system that treats them with respect and indeed is sustainable over the long-term.”
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