Juniper welcomes the news that from 1 October, older Australians on Support at Home will no longer face out-of-pocket costs for help with showering, dressing, and continence management.
The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing and the Hon Sam Rae MP, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, have announced that these services will move from the ‘personal care’ category, which attracts customer contributions of between 5% and 50%, to the ‘clinical care’ category, which is contribution free.
Co-contributions were introduced as part of the Federal Government’s new Support at Home under the new Aged Care Act, which came into effect on 1 November 2025.
Under the original settings, older Australians were required to contribute toward non-clinical care, including everyday personal support, while clinical care remained fully funded.
Over recent months, Juniper has heard from customers navigating co-contributions, with some saying they were cutting back on showers or going without altogether because of the cost.
Juniper CEO Russell Bricknell echoed the sentiments of the national peak body for aged care, Ageing Australia, who declared the announcement ‘a win for the dignity of older Australians’.
However, Mr Bricknell added that while the announcement was a welcome step in the right direction for aged care, it sits alongside initial changes to the NDIS that have also been announced and are deeply disappointing for many people living with a disability and their families.
Mr Bricknell said: “We thank the Government for listening to the concerns of the aged care sector. When people begin scaling back basic care because of cost, it signals something has gone wrong. This change helps restore balance and ensures older Australians can access the everyday support they need to live safely and with dignity at home.
“At the same time, we are concerned by the announced changes to the NDIS, which will see tighter eligibility rules and may result in many people with a disability and their families facing uncertainty about future supports.”
Changes to Support at Home co-contributions sit as part of a broader $3 billion Budget commitment by the Federal Government to deliver ‘more beds, more packages and better care for older Australians’.
Along with its $1 billion investment in changes to the Support at Home program, the Government is also responding to the Independent Review of Residential Aged Care Accommodation Pricing.
The May Budget will address the Review’s findings with a commitment to delivering an additional 5,000 beds a year including:
- New targeted capital subsidies for residential aged care, providing additional funding for supported residents for newly built or refurbished homes.
- An increase to the Accommodation Supplement and structural changes to introduce new tiers, and additional payment for homes with more than 60% supported residents.
The Government has also committed to investing more than $200 million for 20 additional Specialist Dementia Care Program units and an expansion of the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program.
Mr Bricknell added: “It’s encouraging to see the Government acknowledge the pressure on the aged care system isn’t going away and needs a long-term response. The real test now is how this translates to everyday older Australians and how easily they can find a package when they need it, or a bed when things change quickly.”
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