Standing Up for Older Australians in Barker

Standing Up for Older Australians in Barker

In home aged care in our Nation is in crisis.

For too long, older Australians have been left waiting for the care they have already been assessed as needing. Here in Barker, I have heard heartbreaking stories from families whose loved ones are stuck on the home care waitlist, struggling to remain independent in their own homes. Tragically, almost 5,000 Australians died last year while waiting for support,

That is simply unacceptable.

Labor promised 83,000 new home care packages from 1 July this year. The sector was ready. The funding was available. The need was undeniable. Yet the Albanese Government deliberately withheld those places. In just two years, the national waitlist has blown out by nearly 400 per cent and average wait times have tripled. This is not a policy oversight—it is a direct consequence of a government that has failed older Australians.

That is why the Coalition acted. Through coordinated pressure in the Parliament, we have forced the Government to release the packages it was hoarding. This includes 20,000 new home care packages being released immediately, and a guarantee of at least another 20,000 before the end of the year. In total, 83,000 additional packages will now be delivered this financial year.

This is a victory for older Australians in Barker and across the country. It means more people can access the support they need to remain at home, living with dignity and independence, close to family and community.

But let me be clear: while this outcome is welcomed, it should never have required a political fight.

The Coalition will continue to stand up for older Australians, because no one should die waiting for care they have already been told they need. The fight is not over, and I will not stop until dignity in ageing is guaranteed for every Australian.