Government announces 6105 more care packages as 104,000 seniors wait for approved help

"There are no new level four packages for the 21,833 older Australians currently waiting for the highest level of home care," said shadow spokesperson for ageing and seniors Julie Collins.

"There are still over 104,000 older Australians waiting for home care. Time and time again the Morrison Government's miserly announcements of new home care packages have failed to address the true scale of Australia's aged care crisis.

"Almost 30,000 older Australians sadly passed away in just two years while waiting for home care."

A joint statement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Health Minister Greg Hunt and Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck said the cost of the new packages is $325.7 million.

"Our number one priority for older Australians is to keep people safe and healthy and to live independently," the Prime Minister said.

While welcoming the announcement advocacy peak Council on the Ageing Australia (COTA) said much more remained to be done now for older Australians in greatest need.

COTA chief executive Ian Yates said it was vital to reduce the waiting times for home care packages, aiming for a maximum two-month wait time after assessment before older peope can receive the level of care for which they have been assessed.

"The 6105 additional home care packages announced today will mean that more people than ever will receive home care, but it's still unacceptable that people can wait for over a year for high care at home after they have been assessed as needing it," Mr Yates said.

"We know that older Australians want to live at home as long as they can. The government must support them by fully funding home care so they can avoid moving out of their local community and into residential care before it's absolutely necessary.

"However, we still have a long way to go to ensure Australians receive proper care in a timely manner. Even with these additions, many people will be left waiting for more than 12 months before they can receive their high care package."

The latest September-December 2019 figures show almost 59,000 people were waiting on a home care package; a further 45,537 had been offered a package below their assessed level.

Of those waiting for a package, about 96 per cent were approved for basic level supports from the Commonwealth Home Support Program.

Pat Sparrow, chief executive of Aged and Community Services Australia which represents not-for-profit aged care providers, called the injection of further home care packages "fantastic".

"It also shows the government is aware that home care is one of the major issues to address for the future of the entire system," she said.

"We need to make sure we have enough services available to meet the needs of older people who want to stay in their own home for as long as possible.

"We're hopeful that this extension will be the start of a serious community-wide conversation about how to pay for the aged care older Australians deserve."