The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) has submitted its response to the Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the Support at Home Program, highlighting systemic issues that require urgent attention.
While OPAN supports the intent of the program and the broader reform of Australia’s aged care system, many older people are yet to experience the intended benefits of those reforms.
The submission draws on more than 64,500 instances of advocacy and information support provided across the network during the 2025–26 financial year and emphasises recurring patterns emerging.
OPAN member advocates report that many older people are experiencing:
- delayed assessments
- long waits for services
- funding that does not reflect their assessed needs
- increasing costs
- confusing administrative processes
- limited provider availability
- difficulty navigating an increasingly complex system.
Older people report reducing or cancelling essential supports because they cannot afford increased contributions. Others wait months for reassessment while their health deteriorates. Many also say review and appeal processes do not provide timely outcomes when they believe decisions about their level of care are incorrect.
The submission argues that these experiences are not isolated incidents but reveal systemic issues in the implementation and operation of the Support at Home program.
OPAN CEO Craig Gear says legislation alone does not guarantee that older people’s rights are genuinely respected.
‘These challenges must be urgently addressed to ensure the rights now established under the Aged Care Act 2024 are realised in practice through program design, administration and service delivery.
‘The Support at Home program must deliver care that is affordable, timely, easy to understand, and supported by stronger accountability, transparency, and improved protections for older people navigating the system.
‘OPAN will continue to work closely with the government to ensure we achieve meaningful reform and a system that centres the voices and perspectives of older people,’ he said.
Throughout the submission, OPAN proposes practical reforms informed by advocacy experience, feedback from older people, public data, and insights from Support at Home implementation across Australia.
The submission includes 66 recommendations aimed at strengthening implementation of the reforms, including:
- introducing enforceable maximum wait times for assessment, reassessment and access to services
- strengthening financial hardship protections so older people are not forced to go without essential care
- improving transparency around pricing, fees and service delivery.
The recommendations cover a range of implementation issues, including access and assessment processes, consumer rights and protections, provider accountability, service availability, respite, care management, workforce challenges and funding arrangements, with practical measures proposed across each area.
Read the submission.