Motor Neurone Disease is a rare, incurable and fatal condition which is invariably characterised by a rapid deterioration in physical function.
As a result of these particular characteristics, the Government will this week amend the Aged Care Rules to recognise MND as a discrete, specific condition warranting urgent priority for Support at Home. This change will give all older Australians with MND priority access to the Support at Home Program.
This is in line with the prioritisation pathway available to people with MND in the NDIS.
In 2024, our Government stood up a dedicated NDIS team to support new applicants with this degenerative disease.
These two priority pathways into Aged Care or the NDIS provides support and certainty to Australians diagnosed with MND.
The change will apply retrospectively - meaning older Australians with MND who have already been assessed and are waiting for a Support at Home place, as well as those approved in future, will be prioritised for urgent access to their funding.
The Government has also directed the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to undertake a rapid review of the Support at Home prioritisation mechanism. The Integrated Assessment Tool has improved the consistency and fairness of how in-home aged care is allocated - bringing median assessment wait times down from a peak of around 10 months, to consistently under one month.
The review will make sure it keeps delivering for the people who need care most urgently. The Department will provide advice to Government within three months on any adjustments needed.
The review builds on our commitment in the Budget 2026-27 to strengthen the Integrated Assessment Tool and the way people are prioritised for Support at Home. It reflects the Government's approach of moving quickly to make refinements to the Support at Home where people's experiences of the system shows it is needed.
This Government has a proud legacy of investing in MND. In January 2026 the Albanese Government announced $40.1 million to create the Neale Daniher National MND Clinical Network to give more people with MND, access to clinical trials.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"Motor neurone disease is a cruel and fast-moving condition, and our care systems need to respond with the urgency it demands. Whether it's aged care or the NDIS, our job is to get the right support to people when they need it - not after.
"These changes do that, and they reflect a government willing to listen and adjust where the evidence tells us to."
Quotes attributable to Minister McAllister:
"The MND priority pathway has shown what's possible when the system is built around how quickly a person's needs can change.
"We're taking what we've learned in the NDIS and are applying it to aged care. We will also be considering the best way to respond to the needs of people with degenerative conditions like MND as we design the new assessments to determine access to the NDIS so that people with rapidly progressing conditions get certainty sooner. Until then, the priority pathway will continue."
Quotes attributable to Minister Rae:
"Older people and their families have told us that they want to see greater consideration given to those with MND when it comes to the urgency of care they receive.
"We have listened, and Labor is getting on with the job of building an aged care system that can deliver better care to those who need it.
"We know there's much more to do to refine and improve the system. We're committed to refining the system wherever possible to ensure we can get the best outcomes for older Australians."
