New aged care places give older Australians more choice

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21 April 2005
JB040/05

The Australian Government will continue to meet the aged care needs and choices of older Australians by allocating almost 25,000 new residential and community care places over the next three years.

The Acting Minister for Health and Ageing and Minister for Ageing, Julie Bishop, said the Australian Government would provide $700 million in annual recurrent funding for the estimated 24,652 new places, which would help ensure that if older Australians needed care, they had choice in where and how they received it.

“Last week’s Productivity Commission report on the Economic Implications of an Ageing Australia reinforced the Australian Government’s approach to population ageing, which is to take action now to prepare for the demographic changes ahead,” Ms Bishop said.

“The report also highlighted the expected increased demands for health and aged care services. Our challenge is to not only provide more services, but to ensure that those services meet the individual needs and choices of the people receiving care. This includes meeting the preference of growing numbers of older Australians to remain at home as they age.

“With these new places, the Australian Government will have allocated more than 92,000 new aged care places between 1996 and 2007-08. Compare this with the 10,000 aged care place shortage left by the former Labor Government.

“We have also significantly increased funding for services to enable older Australians to remain at home, in their community, including thousands of new community care places and support for carers and their families.

“Our 2004 aged care reforms doubled the proportion of community care places being allocated. This year alone there will be more than 5,000 new places to enable older Australians to receive care at home.”

Ms Bishop said that by announcing indicative numbers of places to be allocated three years in advance the Australian Government was helping aged care providers and local communities prepare to meet the future aged care needs.

“This will help streamline the approvals round, ensuring places that are allocated and funded by the Australian Government become available for older Australians as soon as possible,” Ms Bishop said.

Media contact: Rachael Thompson 0417 265 289
A state/territory breakdown of the new allocations is attached.

	2005-06			2006-07*	2007-08*
	Residential	CACP**	EACH***
NSW	2,030	1,314	305	1,859	1,966
VIC	863	1,127	225	1,267	1,455
QLD	1,410	923	150	1,218	1,025
WA	300	459	80	492	507
SA	290	339	75	415	501
TAS	126	90	25	145	146
ACT	185	40	20	95	69
NT	20	10	20	35	31
Sub-Total	5,224	4,302	900	5,526	5,700
National Pool	1,000			1,000	1,000

Total	11,426			6,526	6,700	Total
						24,652

* The out-year figures in this table are indicative only. There may be some variations in these indicative figures in future years due to possible revised annual population projections and the actual rate at which previously allocated places become operational.
** Community Aged Care Packages provide the equivalent of low level hostel care delivered to people in their own home.
*** Extended Aged Care at Home packages provide the equivalent of high level nursing home care delivered to people in their own home.

Making these places available is the first stage of the 2005 Aged Care Approvals Round process. Based on the advice provided to the Department of Health and Ageing by relevant Aged Care Planning Advisory Committees, the new places will be distributed amongst Aged Care Planning Regions in each state and territory. Details of the distribution of the places for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 will be published in the 2005 Aged Care Approvals Round Regional Distribution of Aged Care Places which is expected to be made available in late May 2005. Following the public notification of the distribution of places, the formal Invitation to Apply for the 2005-06 places is expected to be published in late June 2005.