More than 250,000 older people remain on aged care wait lists
Standard-priority applicants for Support at Home still wait an average of seven to 10 months, according to the government’s latest Aged Care Wait Times report. The same report shows an average five-month wait for a place in an aged care home.
Across Australia, more than 250,000 older people are on wait lists for aged care. That figure includes people waiting for an assessment, funding allocation or a package at their approved level.
On Tuesday, 18 August 2026, ABC Four Corners brought national attention to delays and other problems in the Support at Home programme. However, the Older Persons Advocacy Network, or OPAN, says it has raised the same issues with government since the commencement of the Act.
OPAN chief executive Craig Gear said the coverage highlighted problems advocates have heard since the programme began. “The problems highlighted last night are the same ones that our advocates have been hearing since day one,” he said.
Craig Gear flags IAT concerns
One concern centres on the prioritisation system and the algorithm inside the Integrated Assessment Tool, known as the IAT. The IAT helps decide an older person’s priority status and funding allocation.
According to OPAN, other problems include long waits for assessments and reassessments. The group also points to delayed access to approved funding, assistive technology and home modifications.
Craig Gear said OPAN supports a consistent and rigorous assessment process. Even so, he warned the IAT algorithm remains a challenge because it can shape both funding levels and priority.
In some cases, frontline aged care advocates have reported outcomes that do not match an older person’s identified care needs. Gear said those decisions affect dignity, autonomy and wellbeing.
“While OPAN supports a consistent and rigorous approach to the assessment process, the IAT algorithm has been an ongoing challenge and concern for older people,” Gear said.
The federal government has started a review of the assessment system. OPAN wants that review to create a better way to escalate exceptional cases when an older person’s needs or priority level changes.
Gear said any new process should include clinical and human oversight. He also pointed to some gains in package allocation, although average waits still run to seven to 10 months for standard priority.
Meanwhile, the latest figures still show a five-month wait for a place in an aged care home. As a result, OPAN is pressing for urgent reform to Support at Home across Australia.
