Coalition intensifies criticism of aged care reforms

The Coalition is again taking aim at the Labor government’s aged care reforms, arguing that extended wait times, assessment issues and last‑minute policy changes are creating uncertainty for older Australians and operational strain for providers.

Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Anne Ruston said recent reports of year‑long delays for home care packages and residential aged care placements reflected a system “losing control,” with older Australians waiting months for support they have already been assessed as needing.

Senator Ruston said she was hearing “story after story” of older people waiting for high‑level packages, including cases where individuals died before funding was released.

“The indignity of being left without care and dying while you’re waiting is just something that should not be happening in a first world country like Australia,” she told Sky News host Steve Price.

She also raised concerns about the assessment process under the new model, saying older Australians were being assigned care levels by an algorithm with no human override, even when assessors believed the result was inaccurate.

According to Senator Ruston, this was contributing to lengthy review processes and leaving families without clarity.

The Coalition’s criticisms come as the government confirmed a 12‑month delay to the introduction of price caps under the Support at Home program, a move welcomed by providers but questioned for its timing.

In a separate statement, Senator Ruston said the sector had been left too close to implementation without certainty, arguing that providers had not been given sufficient detail to prepare for the original start date.

“We welcome the decision to delay these price caps because providers had been given no detail on the design of the price caps and would have had no way of implementing them on the original timeline,” she said.

“But the government should never have allowed the sector to get this close to implementation without certainty.”

She said evidence presented to parliamentary inquiries has shown rising costs in home care were being driven by “excessive compliance requirements and growing administrative red tape,” which she argued was diverting resources away from frontline care.

For aged care providers, the delay to price caps has added another layer of complexity as the sector prepares for the transition to Support at Home. Providers have consistently called for clarity on pricing rules, reporting obligations and the operational model underpinning the new system.

The Coalition has welcomed the establishment of a new working group involving COTA, OPAN, Ageing Australia and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to help determine a sustainable pricing approach.

Senator Ruston said it was essential that “the sector, consumer groups and regulators are properly consulted to ensure any pricing arrangements are workable, sustainable and do not reduce access to care for older Australians.”