Following intense pressure, the Albanese Government has scrapped plans to merge the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) into the new Support at Home framework – a big win for older Australians and their families. CHSP will remain an independent, entry-level program which has now been extended in its current format through to June 30, 2029.
This decision brings long-awaited certainty to over 830,000 older Australians who rely on these essential, affordable, non-means-tested services.
The Government has advised that the program will be redesigned, with a formal consultation process beginning in the coming months. Hopefully, this consultation genuinely brings service providers, industry experts, older Australians, and their families to the table to build a fit-for-purpose, sustainable, world-class program. Early, entry-level support is precisely what enables people to remain living independently in their own homes for longer.
However, significant hurdles remain elsewhere in the sector. A recent Four Corners report shone a harsh light on the profound inequity, hardship, and distress experienced by older Australians and family carers under the new system. At the heart of the issue is the flawed Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) with over 500 questions and its underlying algorithm, designed largely by public servants. Crucially, the system does not allow a human clinical assessor to override computer-generated outcomes.
The human cost was heartbreakingly clear in the story of a 96-year-old blind woman living alone being supported by her daughter. Reassessed for more care and services which are desperately needed, the algorithm determined she should remain on the exact same funding level she was assigned 12 years prior – despite increasing need. The Senate Community Affairs References Committee recently heard evidence from clinical experts explaining why the IAT is completely unfit for purpose. The Senate recently supported a motion to abolish the IAT.
When people cannot access appropriate home care, the domino effect is swift and devastating. Older Australians are forced into hospitals, often waiting extended periods for a residential aged care bed to open up. Currently, around 4,000 people across the country are stranded in hospital beds unable to go home simply because they haven’t been assessed for the care and funding they actually require.
This systemic failure is not only inhumane; it is economically reckless. Acute hospital care and residential aged care costs 3 to 4 times more than providing home care services. Keeping people supported in their own homes is demonstrably cheaper for taxpayers and vastly better for individuals.
Australia is fortunate to have highly qualified, world-regarded health and clinical experts who have lived and breathed aged care for decades. The Federal Government must start listening to them and harness their expertise to fix these core issues. Older Australians deserve nothing less.
This article by Julia McCarthy appeared in the September 2026 edition of Village Voice.