By Lalla Nugent
Inner Sydney Voice welcomes the findings of the Senate Inquiry into the future of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), which strongly reflect the experiences, concerns and recommendations shared by providers, older people, carers and communities across our region.
For more than a year, providers have warned that a wholesale transition of CHSP into Support at Home would place older people, local services and communities at unnecessary risk. We made this case in a submission to the inquiry on behalf of community aged care leaders in the region. The Senate has now reached the same conclusion. The Senate has recommended that CHSP be retained as a separate, block-funded program and that funding be extended beyond 2027 to allow time for consultation, co-design and reform.
This outcome is significant because it is not just about aged care programs, but what it means to age well in this country and ensuring that we make access to services possible for our communities.
We know that CHSP is much more than domestic assistance, transport or meals. It is community infrastructure. It is the weekly transport service that gets someone to the shops. It is the social group that prevents isolation. It is the trusted local organisation that supports people long before they reach crisis. These are the foundations that help older people remain independent, connected and well.
Join the Regional CHSP Leader’s Group
Over 12-months, ISV and JNC have brought together CEOs and senior leaders to meet and discuss common challenges in the sector in our Inner and Eastern Sydney region. If you are interested in connecting better with your colleagues on a leadership level, please reach out to ISV: sspo@innersydneyvoice.org.au.