Aged care industry group calls for changes to Government’s new funding package

Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has called for changes to the Australian Government’s package of aged care funding measures, announced by the Prime Minister on 11th February, to avoid ‘unforeseen consequences’ which would have a significant negative impact on many nursing home residents.

Greg Mundy, chief executive officer of ACSA, said that significant changes and more money were needed to resolve long term funding problems and that assumptions on building costs which had been built into the package were out by up to 40%.

He said that ACSA had raised the adverse impacts with the Government and advised that many low care homes ( hostels) would be worse off under the new arrangements.

ACSA represents over 1,200 church, charitable and community-based organisations
providing housing, supported accommodation and community care services to around 750,000 older Australians, people with a disability and their carers.