Financial sustainability is emerging as a major concern for councils delivering the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), with representatives from Western Australia’s Shire of Wagin telling a Senate inquiry that losses, rather than uncertainty about future reforms, are putting continued delivery at risk.
At a Perth hearing into Support at Home, acting president Bryan Kilpatrick said Wagin ratepayers had subsidised CHSP services by around $200,000 over three years. While welcoming the decision to retain CHSP as a standalone program, he said the current funding model remained unsustainable and could create competing markets between CHSP and Support at Home.
The Shire also highlighted the particular challenges faced by its community, where many older CHSP participants want to pay only for services they genuinely need. Alongside funding concerns, the WA Government raised separate concerns about the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT). WA Health Director General Dr Shirley Bowen said experienced clinical assessors need appropriate mechanisms to escalate or override outcomes when an algorithm does not reflect an older person’s complexity or urgency.
The Senate inquiry has received 197 submissions and is due to report on 24 November 2026.
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