Simone McGurk eyeing nearly half of fast-tracked 20,000 aged care packages after Senate defeat

WA Aged Care Minister Simone McGurk says she’s eyeing nearly half of the 20,000 home care packages the Federal government has vowed to fast track after an embarrassing Senate defeat. Political pressure from the Coalition, Greens and crossbench to immediately release extra packages to reduce a ballooning wait list this week delivered Sussan Ley her first win since becoming Opposition leader. Aged Care Minister Sam Rae – the youngest minister on Labor’s frontbench – conceded in a snap press conference on Wednesday that Labor would have to act sooner than the previous November timeline set for an aged care overhaul. The Government has since vowed to release 20,000 extra home care packages immediately, a further 20,000 by the end of the year and the remaining 43,000 in the first six months of 2026. But the packages won’t be distributed evenly across States and Territories. Instead, they will be allocated on an as-needs basis, going to those at the top of the national priority list, regardless of location. “Since I became Minister for Aged Care my first ask was for the Federal Government to clear the backlog of 8,000 home care packages, so we don’t have older West Australians waiting for the appropriate care they need,” Ms McGurk said, confirming she had reached out to Minister Rae after Wednesday’s announcement. “I have argued that WA does not get our fair share of aged care packages given we have 10 percent of the nation’s older population and currently WA receives just 7.7 per cent of home care packages.” Mr Rae and Health Minister Mark Butler had argued the sector was not prepared due to workforce shortages along with pricing and IT system challenges. Ms Ley described the expanded home care program as a “real win” for older Australians who want to remain safe and independent in their own homes. But she said it only came after “an arrogant government” was “brought to heel.” Speaking on the amendments in the House of Representatives on Thursday morning, the Liberal leader slammed the Government for blaming the sector and bureaucrats for the hold-up. “This is an important moment in this Parliament because this is a moment where an arrogant government has been brought to heel,” Ms Ley said. “Labor promised 83,000 new packages from July 1, 2025, but instead decided to withhold that support. They blamed the sector. They blamed the bureaucrats. “It is testament to the importance of being constructive when we can and critical when we must.” But despite his embarrassing backflip and being left out of negotiations — with Mr Butler to tidy up the dispute — Minister Rae refused to concede defeat on Thursday. He told 4BC breakfast radio it was all “a bit of a misunderstanding at play” and the packages had been withheld for the rollout to align with the incoming implementation of “once-in-a-generation” reforms to the Aged Care Act. “I think there’s a bit of a misunderstanding at play here. These packages were actually promised during the last term of Parliament,” Mr Rae said. “We announced an additional 83,000 packages of care to be released from the beginning of the Act.”