In-home aged care clients will no longer pay for essential services such as showers, continence management and wound dressing thanks to a $3 billion funding package unveiled yesterday in the lead-up to May’s 2026 Federal Budget.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Health Minister Mark Butler said the government was responding to widespread community concern by investing $1 billion to make these services free, alongside other clinical care, under the new Support at Home program from 1 October 2026.
The Albanese Government’s package also includes the delivery of an additional 5,000 aged care beds a year, starting from 1 July 2027, and $200 million in funding for 20 additional Specialist Dementia Care Program units and an expansion of the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program.
“Showering, dressing, continence care – these aren’t optional extras,” Aged Care Minister Sam Rae said.
“They’re the basics of ageing with dignity, and no older Australians should miss out because of cost.”
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) welcomed the $3 billion funding package for aged care as a significant step forward in addressing growing demand for high-quality aged care services – but stressed more needs to be done. The government’s reversal of its move to charge clients for basic care such as showering follows strong advocacy and lobbying from the ANMF.
“While we’ve seen some significant reforms in aged care since the Royal Commission, our members continue to tell us that the system is still not fixed,” ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said.
“The Budget funding package is an important acknowledgment from the Government that aged care is struggling under ever-increasing demand for services – and we welcome its commitment to structural improvements to the system, especially the changes to funding for in-home personal care services.
“The ANMF warned against the exclusion of critically important services such as showering, highlighting the potentially negative impacts on the health of older Australians and strongly advocated for Government support for these activities.”
The government said it would announce further aged care measures as part of the Budget in May.
“We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the Government to ensure that taxpayer dollars are best spent, ensuring that older Australians can access the high-quality aged care they deserve,” Ms Butler said.
