Australia sees reduced aged care wait times; One Nation leads in new poll

The Australian government reports that wait times for aged care services are beginning to decrease, with all urgent priority cases for the Support at Home program now receiving funding within a month. Aged Care Minister Sam Rae stated that high-priority wait times have been reduced by a fortnight, now ranging between one and two months, down from previous longer periods.

Medium-priority wait times have also seen a significant reduction, dropping from eight to nine months to between six and seven months. Standard priority cases currently face waits of seven to eight months, an improvement from 10 to 11 months last November. Rae added that the median wait time for an assessment remains under one month, and in-hospital assessments are completed in under a day.

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While we know there’s much more to do, these numbers are encouraging signs our methodical work to secure more care for more older Australians than ever is shifting the dial

"While we know there’s much more to do, these numbers are encouraging signs our methodical work to secure more care for more older Australians than ever is shifting the dial," Rae said. He emphasized that the government has listened to older Australians' desire for trustworthy, affordable care close to home.

In separate political news, a new poll suggests that One Nation has become the most popular political party in Australia. The survey indicates a four-point rise in support for Pauline Hanson's party, bringing its total to 31%. This places One Nation ahead of the governing Labor party, which has a primary vote of 28%, and the Coalition, at 20%. Additionally, Victorians are now eligible for cost-of-living relief measures, including 20% off vehicle registration and half-price public transportation, following a two-month period of free public transport that ended Sunday.

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Older people told us they want care they can trust, close to home and at a fair price. We have listened, and Labor’s getting things moving in the right direction to ensure every older Australian can get the care they deserve, sooner.