Australian government reverses aged care shower co-payment policy, funds changes via NDIS savings
Consensus Summary
The Australian federal government has reversed a controversial policy requiring older Australians to pay out-of-pocket for basic care services like showering, dressing, and continence management under the Support at Home aged care scheme. The decision, announced by Health Minister Mark Butler and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae on April 21, 2026, follows months of criticism from advocates, providers, and older Australians who argued these services are essential and should not be treated as optional extras. The policy, introduced in November 2025, had charged up to $50 per hour for such care, leading some recipients to reduce their frequency of showers or forgo other care to afford the costs. Funding for the reversal will be drawn from savings generated by reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), though the exact financial impact remains unclear, with estimates suggesting it could exceed $1 billion annually. The change will take effect from October 2026, while co-payments for non-clinical care will continue for other services. Advocacy groups, including the Council on the Ageing (COTA) and the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), welcomed the decision but called for further reforms, such as reducing waiting times for home care packages and improving the assessment process for eligibility. The government has also fast-tracked 20,000 additional home care packages to address a significant backlog of people awaiting support.
â Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Federal government will remove out-of-pocket costs for showering, dressing, and continence care under the Support at Home aged care scheme starting October 2026
- The policy reversal was announced by Health Minister Mark Butler at the National Press Club on April 21, 2026, with Aged Care Minister Sam Rae calling these services 'basics of ageing with dignity'
- The co-payment scheme, introduced in November 2025, charged older Australians up to $50 per hour for basic care like showering
- Funding for the policy reversal will come from savings generated by reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
- Aged care advocates, including Council on the Ageing (COTA) and Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), criticized the co-payment scheme as prohibitive and unreasonable
- The government fast-tracked 20,000 extra home care packages to address a backlog of people waiting for aged care support
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The cost of fully covering the extra care is estimated to exceed $1 billion annually, though the exact figure remains unreleased by the government
- Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson, who served on the aged care funding taskforce, stated that the decision to charge for showers was driven by cost but was never the 'right call'
- Advocates are hoping for further aged care announcements in the lead-up to the budget, including reducing waiting times for packages and assessments, and changing the eligibility assessment tool to include human oversight
- Sam Rae mentioned the reversal is part of a broader effort to make the $40 billion aged care system 'sustainable for generations to come'
- The reversal follows sustained criticism from older Australians who described the scheme as an 'obscenity'
- The Guardianâs live blog included additional unrelated stories, such as the fourth man charged in the alleged kidnapping and murder of 85-year-old Chris Baghsarian in Sydneyâs North Ryde, and reports of increased mice populations affecting Australian farmers
- Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John criticized the governmentâs proposed NDIS savings, stating disabled people are 'sick of being used as political footballs' and called for higher taxes on gas exports instead
- Independent Senator David Pocock supported a 25% tax on gas exports, arguing it would raise $17 billion annually and reduce gas prices for Australian households
- Western Australia withdrew 2,050 AI-camera traffic fines (worth about $1 million) for seatbelt misuse since the technology launched in October 2025, though the state plans to continue rolling out the cameras
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC states the reversal will take effect from October 2026, while the Guardian also states October 2026 but does not specify the year in one instance, though both sources align on the month and year
- The ABC mentions the cost of the policy shift is 'likely to be more than a billion dollars,' while the Guardian does not provide a specific cost estimate, only referencing 'savings from the NDIS' without a figure
Source Articles
Government to pay for showers for at-home aged care recipients
The decision to scrap the plan to charge older Australians $50/hour for showers was made after months of sustained criticism, including warnings that people were forgoing other care to afford the service.
Australia news live: NDIS savings to fund better aged care including showers, minister says; fourth man charged over alleged Baghsarian kidnapping murder
Labor says cuts to disability scheme mean elderly will get more help. Follow todayâs news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Agriculture minister aware of reports that mice numbers increasing across regional Australia Julie Collins , the federal minister for agriculture, said the government has been hearing reports of an increase in the number of mice around the country. Obviously, you know, the more things that are impacting our farmers, the harder it is for them