Australia’s Aged Care Sector reports

Australia’s Aged Care Sector is a biannual publication that has been established by the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC). Its purpose is to provide independent analysis and commentary to inform public debates and policy and operational decisions relating to the delivery of subsidised aged care services in Australia.

Australia’s Aged Care Sector Full-Year Report 2023-24

On 12 December 2024, UARC released the sixth edition of its Australia’s Aged Care Sector Report. The report includes detailed analyses and commentary, drawing on data from StewartBrown, the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare.

Elderly woman with glasses looking off into the distance, with circle image with the words "Australia's Aged Care Sector: Full Year Report 2023-2024"

Highlights of this edition:

  • Changes in AN-ACC funding to improve viability of non-metropolitan homes.
  • Many homes still below legal direct care staffing levels, particularly in metropolitan areas and among for-profit providers.
  • Slowdown in building activity risks supply shortfalls in residential care in coming decade.
  • Gradual improvement in Star Ratings.
  • Economies of scale for large residential providers.
  • Home care financial performance continues to decline, with stagnant revenue growth and growing reliance on third-parties.
  • Viability risk analysis of new Support at Home program
  • Aged Care Taskforce reforms to improve equity and sustainability of sector.
  • Opportunities for innovation with abolition of ACAR and new Aged Care Act.

READ AND DOWNLOAD FROM UTS OPUS: 
Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Full-Year Report 2023-24

ATTEND THE WEBINAR:
Register for the free, public webinar hosted by the report’s author team on Wednesday, 22 January 2025, 2–3pm (AEST). 

A recording will be made available after the event.

Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Mid-Year Report 2023–24

Cover of Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Mid-Year Report 2023-24

On 20 June 2024, UARC released the fifth edition of its Australia’s Aged Care Sector Report. The report includes detailed analyses of data from StewartBrown, the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare and Catalyst Research. 

Highlights of this edition:

  • Government spending on aged care continues to grow.
  • Greater accountability is needed to ensure taxpayer funding is spent on direct care staff.
  • Widening dispersion in the financial outcomes of residential care homes.
  • High reliance on lump sum deposits to finance residential care capital infrastructure creates long-term sustainability challenges. 
  • Gradual improvement in homes’ Star Ratings.
  • Home care capacity constraints push up wait times.
  • Positive progress in the Exposure Draft of the new Aged Care Act, but work is still to be done before 1 July 2025.

READ AND DOWNLOAD FROM UTS OPUS: 
Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Mid-Year Report 2023–24

ATTEND THE WEBINAR:
Register for the free, public webinar hosted by the report’s author team on Monday, 24 June 2024, 2–3pm (AEST). 

A recording will be made available after the event.

Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Full-Year Report 2022–23

older lady smiling with purple flowers in background, and a large blue circle with title of the report inside in front.

On 7 December 2023, UARC released the fourth edition of its Australia’s Aged Care Sector Report. The report includes detailed analyses of de-identified datasets collected by StewartBrown, including financial, workforce and other operational results, for 1,197 aged care homes and 68,129 home care packages. It also provides independent analyses of the first year of AN-ACC, Star Ratings results and the opportunities the drafting of the new Aged Care Act presents. Highlights are:

  • Financial performance continues to deteriorate 
  • Losses grow for non-care services
  • Acute financial viability issues in rural areas
  • Larger providers benefit from economies of scale
  • Workforce pressures persist

READ AND DOWNLOAD FROM UTS OPUS: 
Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Full-Year Report 2022-23

WATCH THE WEBINAR:
View a recording of the webinar held on 11 December 2023 and download the presentation slides.

Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Mid-Year Report 2022–23

Front cover of UARC's Australia’s Aged Care Sector Mid-Year Report 2022-23

On 31 May 2023, the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC) released the third edition of its independent report Australia’s Aged Care Sector Mid-Year Report (2022-23). This third edition of Australia’s Aged Care Sector Report presents new evidence, analysis, and commentary. Highlights include:

  • Warning signs of financial distress amongst approved providers
  • Adequacy of direct care funding in residential care depends on workforce availability.
  • Large staffing gaps to meet the minimum standards. 
  • Losses grow for non-care services
  • Home care financial performance continues to decline. 
  • Government spending on aged care far exceeds forecasts.

The report also includes detailed analyses of de-identified financial, workforce and other operational results, from datasets collected by StewartBrown from 1,138 aged care homes and 60,102 home care packages.

READ AND DOWNLOAD FROM UTS OPUS: 
Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Mid-Year Report 2022–23

WATCH THE WEBINAR:
View a recording of the webinar where the UARC author team presented the key findings of the third edition of the aged care sector report. This includes discussions of the latest evidence and analysis about residential and home care providers’ financial challenges, the adequacy of direct care funding, and the staffing gaps in meeting the minimum standards.

Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Full-Year Report 2021–22

Report cover text: Australia's Aged Care Sector Full-Year Report 2021-22. For the 12 months ending 20 June 2022

UARC released the second edition of its independent report Australia’s Aged Care Sector on 25 November 2022.

Australia’s aged care sector faces many complex issues, including the quality of care delivered to senior Australians, the viability of aged care providers, the availability of skilled workers and the fiscal sustainability of publicly funded services.

This edition of Australia’s Aged Care Sector Full Year Report 2021-22 finds that during the financial performance of many aged care providers has deteriorated in the past year. It also presents new evidence about the challenges in securing a sufficiently skilled aged care workforce.

Addressing these financial and workforce concerns will ensure that older Australians receive the quality subsidised care they need.

READ AND DOWNLOAD FROM UTS OPUS: 
Australia’s Aged Care Sector Full-Year Report 2021–22

 

Australia’s Aged Care Sector: Mid-Year Report (2021–22)

Older woman smiling on the report cover for UARC aged care sector mid year report

The first edition of the series, the Mid-Year Report (2021–22) was launched on 17 May 2022.

The Aged Care Sector Report’s first edition provides data and insights to improve our understanding of some of the key issues confronting the aged care sector in Australia. For example, across the sector, the financial performance of aged care service providers has worsened compared to last year. Further, despite community and political pressure to address issues in the aged care workforce, aged care providers are struggling to improve staffing levels. Staffing shortages have been a perennial challenge but have worsened in the last year due to COVID-19 disruptions and the rapid expansion of home care services.

The report’s future editions will closely monitor the sector’s sustainability, and will also provide our perspectives on current developments in some of the more specific challenges as well as our take on where the policy reform agenda is, or should be, heading.

READ AND DOWNLOAD FROM UTS OPUS: 
Australia’s Aged Care Sector Mid-Year Report (2021–22)

WATCH THE WEBINAR:
Vew the webinar that introduces the Mid-Year Report and presents key data, analysis and findings in the current state of Australia’s ailing aged care system, led by the panel of experts :

  • Grant Corderoy, Senior Partner, StewartBrown
  • Professor Mike Woods, UTS Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation
  • Dr Nelson Ma, Senior Lecturer of Accounting, UTS Business School
  • Dr Nicole Sutton, Senior Lecturer of Management Accounting, UTS Business School
  • Deborah Parker, Professor of Nursing Aged Care (Dementia), UTS
  • David Brown (Host) Professor of Management Accounting, UTS Business School
Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.