aged care news & reform
What care will cost under the Aged Care Act It is undeniable that non-supported residents will pay more for care under the Aged Care Act when it comes into force on 1 July 2025. Consumers received a taste of what is to come on 1 January 2025 when the cap on Refundable Accommodation Deposits (RAD) […]
On 11 March 2024 the Aged Care Taskforce, a broadly based group handpicked and chaired by Aged Care Minister, Anika Wells, released its report. Unsurprisingly it has garnered a lot of attention in the media. The main takeaway from the report is the Taskforce’s conclusion and recommendation that aged care costs are, and will continually […]
The Australian Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission is responsible for assessing and accrediting aged care services in Australia. The agency publishes reports on its website (www.myagedcare.gov.au) which provide information about the quality of aged care services, including their star ratings. I previously blogged on this when the star ratings were about to be released […]
One of the changes foreshadowed by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality & Safety was the introduction of a new star grading system for aged care facilities. The ratings have been finalised and submitted to the facilities ahead of them being made publicly available in the very near future. The early release is so […]
Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers delivered his first budget on 25 October 2022. For the most part, economists have praised it as being conservative and sensible. Aged Care is one of the “winners”. $3.9 billion will be allocated to the aged care sector. Many of the items to be funded have already been flagged by the […]
Should you downsize your family home if aged care is on the horizon? As we approach the election the Coalition has announced that it is extending the category of people who can downsize their family homes and receive tax concessions if they put up to $300,000 of the surplus into superannuation. The rule exists at […]
After fighting for what seems like forever to keep Covid-19 and outsiders out of our State, we succumbed a few weeks ago. A bit like the perennial question of the chicken and the egg, the hand of the State government was forced by both pressure from business leaders and citizens feeling the pain caused by […]
On 1 March 2021 the report of the findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was tabled in Parliament. It proposed that a new Aged Care Act should come into effect by no later than July 2023 to give effect to the recommendations. In total, 148 recommendations were made. […]
It’s easy to see why most people believe that the aged care sector was the big winner in this year’s budget delivered by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on 11 May 2021. After all, it promises nearly $18 billion in additional funding over the next five years. The need for increased funding has been apparent for […]
On 1 March 2021 the Commonwealth government released the voluminous report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The Commissioners (Lynelle Briggs and Tony Pagone QC) made over 140 recommendations. The Commissioners differed in some of their conclusions as to how the system should be overhauled. They were unanimous though that major […]