A booming WA economy, but older Western Australians still left behind

The WA State Government has handed down its 2025–26 Budget, with a surplus of $2.4 billion — a clear sign of a booming economy.

We commend the Government for honouring its election commitments to aged care, with several important initiatives announced in this year’s Budget, including:

• Low-interest loans to help aged care providers build and refurbish facilities, alongside 500 new concessional aged care beds to ease pressure on hospitals
• Expansion of specialist-led Older Adult Care Hubs and the WAVED program, delivering more care closer to home
• Continued development of the Residential Care Line to support aged care residents post-hospital discharge
• WA’s first-ever Dementia Action Plan — a critical and welcome step
• Support for a culturally respectful aged care facility for Aboriginal elders at Sister Kate’s
• $9.9 million for the Time to Think program, helping older people transition from hospital to aged care more smoothly

But while these initiatives are welcome, in a State as prosperous as WA, aged care still needs — and deserves — much more.

Over the past five years, WA’s population has grown by more than 300,000 people, many of them retirees or those supporting ageing loved ones.

Meanwhile, aged care providers are under growing pressure to deliver complex care with limited resources. Beds are closing, waitlists are growing, and workforce burnout is on the rise.

The reality is that the system is stretched — and older people are bearing the cost.

While this Budget takes important steps forward, it doesn’t yet provide the foundational investment needed to secure aged care for the future. That means core funding, infrastructure, and workforce support must remain front and centre.

We look forward to working with the Government to ensure continued progress and ensuring that in a strong economy, no one is left behind.

Russell Bricknell

CEO, Juniper Aged Care