General News
31 July, 2026
Tehan calls for better access to Support at Home
MEMBER for Wannon Dan Tehan is calling for improved access to the federal government’s Support at Home program following recent findings at a Senate inquiry into the scheme.
Support at Home is a federal government program which provides coordinated care and services for older people to remain at home as they age.
Mr Tehan said the inquiry had exposed a number of “serious failures” in the rollout of the system, including difficulty accessing services for Wannon residents and pressure on organisations providing the services under the scheme.
“Our older Australians deserve an aged care system that puts their needs first, not one that buries them in bureaucracy and leaves providers struggling to keep up,” he said.
“Many people across Wannon want to remain living independently in their own homes for as long as possible.
“They should have confidence that when they need support, the system will work for them, not against them.”
Mr Tehan said the first full-day hearing of the Senate inquiry heard evidence from providers, peak bodies and academics who say Labor’s Support at Home program is producing unintended and damaging consequences.
“Witnesses told the inquiry that a rigid, algorithm-based assessment tool is overriding clinical judgement and failing to properly recognise the individual needs of older Australians,” he said.
“The inquiry also heard that Labor’s hardship scheme is so complex that many vulnerable seniors are unable to access it.
“Providers described the application process as lengthy, confusing and intimidating, with very few applications ultimately being approved.”
Mr Tehan said this was particularly concerning for regional communities such as Wannon, where many older Australians live independently and may have limited access to family support or advocacy.
“Older Australians shouldn’t have to navigate a mountain of paperwork just to receive the care they have earned,” he said.
“The inquiry also heard evidence that grandfathering arrangements are failing to deliver Labor’s promise that existing participants would be no worse off, with hidden administration costs reducing the amount of care people can actually receive.
“Providers also warned that the complexity of the new system is driving up administrative costs while making the program increasingly difficult to operate.
“Evidence presented to the inquiry showed provider margins have fallen dramatically, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of home care services.”
Mr Tehan said regional aged care providers were already operating under “significant workforce and financial pressures”, and Labor’s implementation of the new program risked making those challenges worse.
“Our local aged care providers want to spend their time caring for older Australians, not dealing with unnecessary bureaucracy created by Canberra,” he said.
“The Albanese Government was warned that rushing this reform would create serious problems.
“The Senate inquiry has now confirmed those warnings were justified.”
Mr Tehan said the government should support the Coalition’s legislation to restore human oversight to aged care needs assessments, simplify the hardship process and address the additional costs being imposed on older Australians and aged care providers.
“Our seniors deserve dignity, certainty and access to the care they need,” he said.
“The government must stop ignoring the warning signs and fix this broken rollout before more older Australians are left worse off.”