Senate revolt: Labor pressed to unlock home care funds now
Labor is under mounting pressure as the Senate pushes for urgent release of in-home aged care funding. With more than 121,000 people waiting on assessments, critics say delays are “unconscionable” and want extra packages front-loaded before November.
![<p>The Australian Parliament House, the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia at twilight,, night. Capital Hill, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. [Source Mlenny, iStock]</p>](https://agedcareguide-assets.imgix.net/news/articles/wp/iStock-902414318.jpg?fm=pjpg&format=auto&w=550&q=65)
The Australian Parliament House, the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia at twilight,, night. Capital Hill, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. [Source Mlenny, iStock]
The Albanese government finds itself cornered in the Senate, as the Coalition, Greens, and crossbench senators prepare to push amendments that would front‑load funding for the new Support at Home system — even as the government insists the reforms remain locked until November.
Last week’s Senate inquiry delivered a punch: more than 121,000 older Australians are still waiting just to be assessed, while nearly 90,000 have already been approved for care packages but have yet to receive them. That puts the total backlog well over 200,000 people stranded in limbo.
Independents like ACT’s David Pocock—an elected official who apparently acts like he actually gives a damn — vehemently criticised the government for clinging to excuses. He’s spearheading amendments calling for the urgent release of 20,000 additional home care packages immediately, rather than letting them languish until November.
Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne didn’t bother sugar-coating it either, calling the current model, where people must wait for someone else to die or move into residential care before they can access help, “unconscionable.” She was especially unimpressed to learn that no new packages have been released since June—and that the fabled 2,700 packages per week touted by the government were simply re-allocations freed up by attrition, not fresh support.
The government’s argument? They need time to prep providers for the new system set to launch in November — delayed from July — claiming it’s too risky to release additional packages now. Hard to ignore the irony of insisting on more time while hundreds of thousands wait on hold for help.
Amendments to the Support at Home legislation are expected to hit the Senate floor this week. If those amendments pass — forcing Labor to release extra packages now—it could be the first government defeat since Labor won its majority. That seems fitting. Politics only operates at the pace of drama, after all.
At least 98 per cent of aged care providers say they’re ready and waiting to deliver newly available support packages. So there’s really no excuse — even if you’re eager to manufacture one.
