Support at Home showering reclassified as 'clinical care' as part of $3bn investment

Intended to build on changes delivered in its first term, the Australian Government has announced that the 2026 Budget will include a $3 billion aged care investment. $1 billion has been allocated to change the treatment of personal care services through the Support at Home program — making them free of charge alongside other clinical care.

The government has also promised to deliver an additional 5000 beds a year — a response to findings from the Independent Review of Residential Aged Care Accommodation Pricing, led by Nigel Ray PSM and Associate Professor Nicole Sutton and released on 22 April.

Responses to the findings of the independent review also include new targeted capital subsidies for residential aged care — providing additional funding for supported residents for newly built or refurbished homes — and an increase to the Accommodation Supplement as well as structural changes to introduce new tiers, and additional payment for homes with more than 60% supported residents.

20 additional Specialist Dementia Care Program units and an expansion of the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program have also been promised as part of a more than $200 million investment.

In its statement, the government also said it would accelerate the release of and expand access to more Support at Home places — with further details to be released in the Budget — and further aged care measures also to be announced as part of the Budget in May, with all costs published in the Budget.

“We said when the Aged Care Act commenced that we’d keep watching how the reforms landed to make sure the system is strong enough, and fair enough, to meet the moment. That’s exactly what this is,” Australia’s Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae said.

“Showering, dressing, continence care — these aren’t optional extras. They’re the basics of aging with dignity, and no older Australian should miss out because of cost,” Rae added. “Older Australians, their families and providers told us these services needed to be protected. We’ve listened, and we’re acting.”

Ageing Australia response

Welcoming the federal government’s decision to reclassify showering as ‘clinical care’ under the Support at Home program, Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said: “Sweeping reforms will always have unintended consequences, and we’ve been clear from the outset that charging contributions for showering needed to be kept under constant review to ensure the best possible outcomes for older people.

“Since the reforms were implemented on 1 November 2025, our members have been deeply concerned about those unintended consequences. Particularly alarming has been the increasing evidence that older people were reducing the number of showers they had or forgoing them altogether due to cost. That is the worst possible outcome.

“Showering is not just about hygiene and health, it’s about basic human dignity,” Symondson said. “The government’s decision to fully fund it as part of the upcoming Budget reflects our values as a society and should give older people greater confidence that they will be able to access the services they need, when they need them.”

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