Overview
- Ministers announced on Thursday that the CHSP will be extended to June 2029 and kept as a separate program rather than folded into Support At Home.
- The program supports about 800,000–830,000 older Australians and is delivered by an estimated 1,300 providers, including many councils.
- Roughly 40 percent of CHSP clients live outside major cities, making the extension especially important for regional, remote and First Nations communities.
- Provider groups welcomed the certainty but warned that outdated contracts and inadequate funding risked service closures or reductions unless urgently reviewed.
- The government defended a contested algorithmic integrated assessment tool as cutting wait times and improving accuracy even as the Senate and advocacy groups press for more oversight and consultation.