New alliance urges govt to retain CHSP as standalone program

A powerful new coalition of aged care, health and consumer organisations has urged the Albanese government to keep the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) as a standalone program. They warn that folding it into the forthcoming Support at Home (SAH) system risks dismantling the only consistently high‑performing part of Australia’s aged care system.

With the Support at Home program scheduled to replace Home Care Packages in 2027, sector leaders say decisions about CHSP’s future must be made urgently to avoid destabilising frontline services.

“We are calling for CHSP to remain as a separate program and not get folded into the Support at Home program,” co‑convenor and Meals on Wheels Australia chair Paul SadlerSadler said.

“We are asking that the government makes a decision on this as a matter of urgency.”

The newly formed CHSP Alliance, representing 40 national organisations and sector leaders, has released a position statement calling for CHSP to be redeveloped as the primary tier of aged care, mirroring the structure of the health system with clear primary, secondary and tertiary levels of support.

“We are calling on the government to restructure aged care into three tiers just like the health system,” Alliance co‑convenor Professor Kathy Eagar said.

“CHSP should be developed as the primary care tier, equivalent to going to the GP. It should be local, affordable and with no long waits.”

As CHSP currently supports more than 800,000 older Australians each year, the Alliance has argued that is uniquely positioned to deliver prevention, early intervention, social connection and low‑level support that helps people remain independent and age in place.

Mr Sadler said investment in prevention is essential.

“Primary aged care focusing on prevention and a wellness approach is good for the older person and also good for the taxpayer,” he said.

“Australian taxpayers will ultimately have to pay more if we don’t invest in prevention and in services that allow older people to remain independent for longer.”

The Alliance is calling for an urgent government decision, ideally reflected in the May 2026 federal budget, to keep CHSP separate from SAH and begin co‑designing a revamped CHSP fit for the next two decades.

Redesign of aged care tiers

The CHSP Alliance’s position statement outlines a long‑term vision for CHSP as the primary aged care tier, with SAH operating as the secondary tier and residential aged care as the tertiary tier.

Under the proposal, older people would have a genuine choice between receiving services through CHSP or SAH, consistent with the 2024 Aged Care Act’s emphasis on autonomy and independence.

The Alliance argues that many older people prefer grant‑funded, community‑based services rather than individualised funding packages, and should not be forced to switch providers as their needs increase.

It is also calling for:

• formal recognition of CHSP’s secondary‑tier role for people with higher needs
• better integration between CHSP and primary health care, including social prescribing by GPs
• a new funding model that separates fixed infrastructure costs from variable service delivery costs.

The Alliance said allowing GPs to directly refer patients to CHSP services such as community transport, Meals on Wheels or social support would strengthen continuity of care and reduce the fragmentation between health and aged care.