Victoria
Albanese government accused of masking true home care waitlist
A Four Corners investigation reveals that almost 154,000 older Australians are waiting for full home care funding, far higher than official figures.
The Albanese government is facing scrutiny over how it calculates the national home care waitlist, following revelations that the true number of people waiting for full funding is much higher than official records suggest.
According to an investigation by the ABC's Four Corners, the number of elderly Australians waiting for full aged care funding to support them at home stands at almost 154,000. This figure is significantly higher than the 100,000 waitlist reported in official government data.
The discrepancy is reportedly the result of a change in the counting methodology used by federal authorities. By altering how candidates on the list are tracked and categorized, the government has been able to present a reduced waitlist to the public.
This change in accounting has raised concerns among sector advocates, who warn that the altered statistics obscure the ongoing struggles of older Australians trying to access essential support. Many individuals currently receive only a portion of the funding they require, while others remain entirely without support as they wait for their approved packages to be delivered.
The government has previously defended its management of the aged care portfolio, pointing to increased funding and efforts to clear backlogs. However, the revelation of a much larger hidden waitlist is likely to renew pressure on the administration to address systemic delays in the home care program.
At this stage, it remains unclear exactly how the government will address the findings or whether it will revert to the previous method of reporting wait times.
Watch for how the federal government responds to the specific allegations raised in the investigation as parliament resumes.
This report draws on original reporting by Wire report.
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