The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has welcomed the Albanese Government's $3 Billion funding package for aged care in the May Federal Budget package, including $1 Billion dedicated to personal care services and the delivery of 5,000 additional aged care beds across the country.
Federal Secretary Annie Butler said the multi-billion-dollar investment was a significant step forward in addressing the growing demand for high‑quality aged care services and follows strong advocacy from the ANMF on behalf of its members working in aged care.
"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," Ms Butler said today.
"The Budget funding package is an important acknowledgment from the Government that the 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. So, we are very pleased to see a $1 Billion commitment to changes to the Support at Home program to include showering, continence and dressing consumables in the clinical care service list, commencing 1 October 2026."
The ANMF is reviewing the full details of the Government's commitments but welcomes the additional aged care announcements, which include:
- An additional 5,000 residential aged care beds annually, commencing 1 July 2027, including new targeted capital subsidies for residential aged care, providing additional funding for supported residents for newly built or refurbished homes.
- An increase to the Accommodation Supplement and structural changes to introduce new tiers and additional payment for homes with more than 60% supported residents.
- $200 million in funding for 20 additional Specialist Dementia Care Program units and an expansion of the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program.
"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 added.
Further aged care measures will be announced in the Budget in May.
About us:
The ANMF, with over 356,000 members, is the industrial and professional voice for nurses, midwives and carers in Australia.
