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Survivor aged care update
Image courtesy of ABC
Survivor aged care concerns in the media – add your voice, share your experience
Ngaji mingan (hello, how are you in Yawuru),
We wanted to share a brief update on our latest advocacy and media work around the aged care needs of Stolen Generations survivors.
In this special aged care update, you will find:
National ABC story on how the new Aged Care Act will affect survivors
An update on the new Aged Care Act rules
Resources to help you navigate the changes
A template you can use to write to your local MPs about how the new Act will affect the survivors you work with
New aged care Senate inquiries
How to share survivors’ aged care experiences, concerns and questions with us
With this week’s announcement that the WA redress scheme is now open for applications, we have also included a brief update on how to apply or find out more.
Questions? Feedback? Please contact me directly or get in touch with our team at media@healingfoundation.org.au
Yours in solidarity,
Shannan Dodson (Yawuru)
CEO of The Healing Foundation
Means testing of redress ‘discriminatory’ – The Healing Foundation
Image courtesy of ABC
"For people who are some of the sickest and poorest, in their elderly years, having to go through further hardship … it's callous disrespect.”
Professor Steve Larkin, Chair of The Healing Foundation, quoted in an ABC article this last week on Stolen Generations survivors and the new Aged Care Act
In recent weeks, The Healing Foundation has been working with the survivors and their organisations, the ABC, and other key stakeholders to raise awareness of two major issues for survivors under the new Aged Care Act.
This follows year-long behind the scenes advocacy, including a submission to the Inspector-General of Aged Care's progress report, providing input into the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner report, representations to key public servants within the Aged Care Group, advocacy with key Aged Care organisations, and writing to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae.
Under the new Act, which came into effect on 1 November, Stolen Generations survivors who have received state or territory redress payments may have to pay more for aged care supports.
Payments under the National Redress Scheme were made exempt from means testing in January, yet the same protection was not applied to other Stolen Generations redress schemes, open or closed.
Without exemption, survivors may lose part of the compensation they waited decades for, as redress payments (and some purchases made with redress funds) will be counted as assets that increase their aged care fees.
The Healing Foundation is also extremely concerned about the new co-payments for home-based aged care.
We’re calling for urgent reform to make Stolen Generations redress payments exempt from aged care means testing.
New Aged Care Act and the Support at Home program now in effect
Key changes in the new Aged Care Act include the introduction of means-tested contributions under the Support at Home program, and revised fees for new residents entering Residential Aged Care from 1 November 2025. There are also changes to aged care assessment.
The Support at Home program delivers government funded aged care services to help older people stay at home for longer and replaces the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) will transition by 1 July 2027.
Information about the Support at Home program is available online.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care assessments
Three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations have been funded to deliver culturally safe, trauma-aware aged care assessments as part of a pilot to better support Elders to access aged care services. These organisations include Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council Aboriginal Corporation, Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative and The Institute of Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH). Click here to find out if these organisations cover your region.
Resources to navigate the changes
The Health and Aged Care page of our website now includes some newly released fact sheets on how the new Aged Care Act will affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elder Care – 2025 Summary: A fact sheet from the Inspector-General of Aged Care on what the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety called for in relation to Elder Care, how this has not been achieved, and the changes required to prevent harm to Elders
Co-payments for in home care: A fact sheet from the Inspector-General of Aged Care on how the co-payments model is inconsistent with the Royal Commission’s vision, and what needs to change
Support at Home program classifications and funding: A fact sheet for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on the new co-payments and how they might affect people.
Aged care costs if you entered care between 2014 and 2025: A fact sheet from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing that explains the ‘no worse off principle’ and the importance of keeping your financial details up to date.
Have you come across other resources that are helpful for survivors, staff or community controlled providers? Share them with us at resources@healingfoundation.org.au.
Tell your MP how much this means to survivors
The Healing Foundation has put together a letter template to support organisations and staff, survivors, and community members to write to local MPs about how the new Act will affect ageing survivors.
Simply download the letter, add your local MP’s details, and email it to them.
Or tailor the letter with more personalised information about how the changes will impact you, survivors you work with, or family or community members.
Senate votes to launch two new inquiries into aged care
Another two Senate inquiries will be established in response to concerns about the new Aged Care Act.
The inquiries will be chaired by Greens Spokesperson for Older People Senator Penny Allman-Payne, who chaired the inquiry on the impact of delaying the start date of the new Support at Home program in October.
The first inquiry will investigate the government’s planned transition of the Commonwealth Home Support Program to Support at Home after 1 July 2027 and the expected impact of the transition, including waiting periods and provider and workforce readiness for the transition.
The second inquiry will investigate the ability of older Australians to access care under Support at Home, including services to allow them to live at home, the impact of contributions on financial security and wellbeing, and the impact on First Nations communities.
Share aged care experiences, concerns and questions with us
How are the aged care changes affecting survivors you know or work with?
Being able to share the experiences of survivors as they navigate these challenging and unaffordable changes will help place pressure on the government and hopefully, create change.
If you or a survivor you work with is happy to speak with us about your experiences, and possibly speak with the media, please contact our team at media@healingfoundation.org.au
Questions? Concerns? Feedback? Our policy team is also available to support survivors and staff in navigating these complex changes. Please contact us at resources@healingfoundation.org.au for advice.
WA Redress Scheme applications open
Imagery courtesy of ABC News: Courtney Withers
The opening of the Western Australian Stolen Generations Redress Scheme this week offers long overdue acknowledgement of the pain and mistreatment survivors experienced, but some people may miss out, The Healing Foundation said on Tuesday.
The national body that supports Stolen Generations survivors and their organisations reiterated calls for the Government of Western Australia to heed key learnings from redress schemes in other jurisdictions.
“We all want as many survivors as possible to be able to receive this redress in their lifetimes,” The Healing Foundation’s Chairperson Professor Steve Larkin said.
“We urge the government to prioritise advance payments for sick and elderly survivors, and to exercise flexibility and discretion when considering the cut off date for eligibility.”
