The 2024-25 Budget allocated $531.4 million to deliver an additional 24,100 Home Care Packages, reducing average wait times and helping more older Australians remain in their homes and communities. This expansion addresses the significant waitlist that had grown to approximately 76,000 people by September 2024, with some people waiting up to 15 months for higher-level packages.

The current Home Care Packages Program will transition to the new Support at Home program on 1 July 2025, representing a comprehensive reform of in-home aged care. The government has committed $4.3 billion to this transformation and announced the release of 83,000 additional packages in 2025-26 (the largest single-year release ever), with a target of reducing wait times to an average of three months by July 2027.

Support at Home will replace the existing Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme, offering several significant improvements:

• Expansion from 4 funding levels to 8 classifications, with annual funding up to $78,000 (increased from $62,853)

• Up to $15,000 for home modifications through a dedicated scheme

• Faster access to assistive technology (like walkers and wheelchairs)

• New End-of-Life Pathway providing up to $25,000 over 12 weeks for palliative care at home

• Expanded Restorative Care Pathway extended from 8 to 12 weeks

• Target of supporting an additional 300,000 participants over the next 10 years

Current Home Care Package recipients and those on the waitlist as of September 2024 will automatically transition to the new program at their existing funding level, with a "no worse off" principle ensuring they maintain at least their current level of support.

[1] https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-anika-wells-mp/media/once-in-a-generation-aged-care-reforms

[2] https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/support-at-home-program-handbook.pdf

[3] https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/hcp/funding/subsidy-increase#:~:text=To%20support%20providers%20to%20pass,new%20Support%20at%20Home%20program.

[4] https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home/features

[5] https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/royal-commission/extra-support-at-home-packages-welcomed/

[6] https://www.theweeklysource.com.au/home-care/govt-to-release-83000-home-care-packages-in-2025-2026-with-76000-on-the-wait-list

[7] https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-05/budget-2024-25-quality-aged-care.pdf