Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

The Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Improved Home Care Payment Administration No. 2) Bill 2020 amends the way that home-care providers are paid subsidies to address stakeholder concerns regarding unspent funds and to align home-care arrangements with other government programs such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme, NDIS.

The measures in the bill improve financial accountability and allow for better transparency over the actual use of funds for home-care service delivery. The bill will amend the Aged Care Act 1997 and the Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 such that home-care providers will only be paid subsidies for care and services rendered to a home-care recipient during a month, with Services Australia retaining the unspent subsidy that a home-care recipient is eligible to receive each month. This unspent subsidy will be available for providers to draw down on behalf of a home-care recipient as care and services are provided in the future. There is no change to a consumer's access to their full subsidy.

This builds on the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Improved Home Care Payment Administration No. 1) Bill 2020 that amends the Aged Care Act 1997 and the Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 such that providers of home care will not receive a payment in advance but in arrears. I thank senators for their contribution to the debate and commend the bill to the Senate.