Friday, September 4, 2026

Marion Piper, Contributor


Four years after shelving its divestment plans, Bupa APAC is re-testing the market to sell its $2 billion ANZ aged care portfolio. The move highlights a stark sector reality: buying existing beds is now far cheaper than building them.

Latest News

How retirement communities can prepare for changing resident expectations

Changing resident expectations, ageing in place and increasingly complex support needs are reshaping retirement living. Dr Roger Pallant of the NSW Retirement Village Residents Association says leaders need to plan for that change and bring residents into the conversation.

• leadership

Support at Home Senate inquiry: what Uniting wants aged care providers to know

What happens when someone is assessed as needing more care, but the funding isn’t there to provide it? Uniting NSW.ACT says the current gap is putting pressure on older people, providers and the wider aged care system.

Hayley Campbell, Content Writer

• health

Avian Flu has arrived: Why communication is aged care’s strongest defence

Avian influenza may pose a low immediate risk to aged care, but it offers a timely reminder that outbreak preparedness extends beyond infection control. The lasting lesson from COVID is that compassionate, confident communication is as critical to resident wellbeing as any clinical response.

Yvette Willison, Content Writer

• aged care sector

What lies ahead for CHSP beyond the 2029 extension

Australia’s Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) is extended until June 2029, avoiding a planned merger with Support at Home. While the certainty is welcome news, providers now face the crucial challenge of shaping the program’s long-term future.

Marion Piper, Contributor

• mental health

Caring for the carer: why mental health capability is now a workforce imperative

One direct conversation was enough to help a manager know her colleague was in crisis and keep her safe. As burnout rises across aged care, Mental Health First Aid training is giving staff the confidence to notice, ask and act early.

Jakob Neeland, Contributor

Contributors

Michael Foenander

Michael Foenander

Michael Foenander - Consultant

"Michael Foenander (GAICD) is an executive leader, board member, and former chef who writes on gerontology, foodservice, and aged care operations."

Hayley Campbell

Hayley Campbell

Hayley Campbell - Content Writer

"Hayley Campbell is a mental health and healthcare copywriter who believes the best stories start with people."

Yvette Willison

Yvette Willison

Yvette Willison - Content Writer

"Yvette is an avid storyteller with a working knowledge base in the Allied Health, Disability and Aged Care sectors."

Lindsey OGrady

Lindsey OGrady

Rise Up Group - Senior Catering Operations Specialist

"Lindsey O’Grady is a chef and aged care hospitality specialist with 40 years’ experience."

Subscribe to your midweek leadership dose.

Every Wednesday, we deliver stories that inspire better leadership, spark ideas & keep you ahead in aged care.

Events

Nov

2026

2026 Ageing Australia National Conference

NOV 24, 2026 | 9 am - 5 pm

The International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney

Mar

2027

ATSA Independent Living Expo Hobart

MAR 04, 2027 | 8 am - 4 pm

Princes Wharf No. 1, Hobart

May

2027

ATSA Independent Living Expo Perth

MAY 19, 2027 | 8 am - 3 pm

Claremont Showground

News

• support at home

Interim funding rule Removes 53,000 clients from official aged care waitlist

Jakob Neeland, Contributor 53,718 people vanished from Australia’s aged care waitlist after a methodology change, removed once interim 60% payments start, not full funding. Providers report clients waiting up to five months, with the missing 40% never backdated.

• industry news

Building the bridge to reshape First Nations aged care

Yvette Willison, Content Writer Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Jodi Cassar brings more than two decades of public service experience to one of aged care’s newest roles, sharing why listening, cultural safety and community partnerships are essential to creating meaningful, lasting reform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• aged care workforce

Who will take care of older Australians if migration slows?

Hayley Campbell, Content Writer Australia’s aged care workforce already relies heavily on migrant workers, while demand for workers continues to grow. With migration settings under review, providers need to understand what changes to access for overseas workers could mean for staffing.

• aged care sector

Aged care’s data problem is starting to find its fix

Marion Piper, Contributor Three hours of a shift gone to paperwork — before a single resident is checked on. As documentation eats into aged care nursing time, new tools like Kinnexus and BESTMED IQ are trying to hand some of that time back to care.

• inspector-general

New acting head, Kate Pope, confirmed for aged care’s independent oversight body

Marion Piper, Contributor Kate Pope PSM has taken over as acting Inspector-General of Aged Care, bringing 35 years of public sector experience to the role while government recruits a permanent appointee.

• Aged Care Act

Aged care reforms haven’t fixed staffing, survey finds

Marion Piper, Contributor A union survey of 3,550 frontline workers finds understaffing, rising violence and unexplained funding gaps persisting under the Aged Care Act reforms – raising fresh governance questions about how providers are spending taxpayer funding.

Standardised failure: how the new NDIS bill sacrifices participants for budget repair

• disability

Marion Piper, Contributor As NDIS reforms repeat the design flaws of aged care’s algorithmic funding failures, Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess warns that providers will bear the fallout of standardised models that sacrifice individual needs for budget repair.

Topic

For-profit aged care brings clarity to sector fault-lines

• leadership

For-profit versus not-for-profit is a detour tension point the industry can’t afford. Mel Argent of Rockpool shares insight for the common goal, removing inefficiencies so that aged care can thrive in Australia. For seniors and staff, all providers and departments must pull towards best.

Are we asking the wrong question about aged care kitchen shortages?

• hospitality

With over 75 per cent of aged care chefs reporting staffing shortages, benchmarked award rates may no longer be enough. Chef Lindsey O’Grady explores why providers must look beyond internal aged care pay comparisons to compete with the wider labour market.

Editions

7th Edition

7th Edition

May 2026

Order Now
6th Edition

6th Edition

October 2025

View Flip Book
5th Edition

5th Edition

March 2025

View Flip Book
4th Edition

4th Edition

February 2025

View Flip Book

Get the good stuff, weekly.

Trends, tactics, no fluff every Wednesday.