2025-09-03
Labor has today suffered a humiliating defeat in the aged care showdown in the Senate over the home care package waitlist debacle, losing a vote to bring forward 20,000 new home care packages.
The Government has announced it will bring forward the planned 83,000 home care packages and begin to release them immediately, with 20,000 released prior to 1 November.
Amendments passed by the Senate this afternoon have forced the government to urgently negotiate and bring forward the release of 20,000 home care packages, and front-load the release of the Support at Home program from 1 November.
The Government faced a series of defeats in the Senate and has chosen to bring forward their planned release of packages.
The Greens have been pushing the government hard to take action, Chairing a Senate inquiry into the issue and putting forward amendments to the Government’s aged care legislation.
This will begin the work of addressing the urgent needs of over 200,000 older Australians waiting 12 months or more for basic care like showering, cooking and cleaning.
There are still over 200,000 people on the waitlist for support at home. The Government is looking more and more out of touch and desperate after being forced to change policy by the Greens and crossbench.
Lines from Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Greens spokesperson for Older People and Chair of the inquiry:
“Today, the Greens have forced the Government to end the pointless delays and start getting older Australians the essential care that they need.
“Labor has resisted all calls to do the right thing, so now the Senate has forced them to.
“We had to drag the Government kicking and screaming, but after losing a vote in the Senate we have finally forced them to do the right thing by older people.
“Senior ministers have had to step in and clean up the mess made by Sam Rae. Labor was too arrogant to make changes themselves, which is why we have united to force them to do the right thing by older people.
“Every day that Labor delays action is another day that our parents and grandparents are going without the help they need. It’s a day that an older Australian gets pushed too early into residential care and into hospital. It’s a day that people are dying without care.”
“People are still dying waiting for care, and the only thing stopping them from getting that care is an arrogant Labor Party and a Minister who can’t admit he’s got this wrong.”
“In a wealthy country like Australia, we can afford to look after our older people.”