Finance

Australian wages are on the rise, buoyed by the latest instalment of aged care pay rises in March, which should see the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate this week.

Australia’s aged care sector is once again under pressure from within as the very reforms intended to strengthen it pose an unnecessary risk.

It is generally true to say that change is less welcome than not. Change tends to disrupt the status quo, brings uncertainty, add workload as well as pressure. Overall, change is not embraced by most.

An $18 million ‘error’ is the latest financial concern to arise from the Department of Health and Aged Care’s digital transformation journey.

Advisers are being put on high alert for signs of elder abuse, with Louise Biti, director of Aged Care Steps, warning that self-managed superannuation funds inadvertently increase the risk of detrimental outcomes.

When the Department of Health and Aged Care released new insights into Support at Home pricing through new resources such as the summary of indicative prices, there were lingering questions amongst the sector.

Aged care has enjoyed some bumper budgets in recent years as the Labor government heavily invested in ongoing reform measures. That’s why a quieter budget feels like the sector has missed out right on the cusp of a new Aged Care Act. 

Home care service providers are about to become incredibly familiar with the term ‘reasonable’ after the Department of Health and Aged Care released a suite of Support at Home pricing resources.

The 2025-26 Budget is here and the Australian Government has announced two key measures for the aged care sector, headlined by a further $2.6 billion that will help fund pay rises for aged care nurses from March this year.

The introduction of the AN-ACC funding model aims to provide ‘equitable funding’ in aged care. Yet, the reality is that the industry is more divided, has less growth potential, and is less profitable.