AUSTRALIA | Ahead of this year's federal budget, Ageing Australia has suggested various points that it wishes to see included to benefit the sector.
Ageing Australia has made a series of recommendations ahead of the 2026 federal budget aimed at building a properly funded aged care sector, that will grow with our ageing population, supported by a workforce to match.
“Action is needed now with the number of Australians aged over 70 set to hit 2.3 million by 2044,” Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said.
“We should be building 10,000 beds a year over the next decade just to meet that demand, but sadly we’re only building a fraction of those.”
Symondson said investment now will safeguard older Australians, strengthen quality care and reduce pressure on hospitals.
“It’s not just about beds. We also know that most older people want to stay in their homes and in the community for longer. To support this, providers need the right resourcing to coordinate and facilitate care for people in the community.”
He added that the industry was also in need of a workforce to match. By 2050 aged care is facing a predicted shortage of some 400,000 workers. Without urgent investment Australia will not have the workers needed to support our ageing population.
“These proposed measures, if adopted, will support the confidence of the Australian community that they can access quality care as they age, should they need it, when and where they need it.”
Key recommendations by Ageing Australia include an increase in the accommodation supplement so residential aged care providers can keep their doors open and invest in safe and modern homes, set a price floor for the maximum permissible interest rate (MPIR) of eight percent to encourage investment in building and upgrading residential aged care homes, and a review of the Australian National Aged Care Classification funding model to more accurately align care funding with actual provider costs in support of older Australians.
It also recommended introducing a low interest loan scheme to facilitate the development and renewal of residential aged care homes.
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