The Cook Labor Government is under growing pressure to take real action on the aged care crisis as providers call for $1 billion in funding and WA hospitals are left to deal with the fallout.
“Hundreds of older West Australians are stuck in hospital beds every day simply because there is nowhere else for them to go. This is not just a health issue—it’s a failure of leadership,” said Shadow Minister for Aged Care, Bevan Eatts MLA.
Premier Roger Cook returned from Canberra this week with no new funding and no firm commitment from the Albanese Government, despite raising the issue of aged care shortfalls.
Aged care provider Hall and Prior used a media event to plead for urgent funding, citing chronic under-capitalisation in WA and a looming shortage of thousands of aged care beds. WA currently faces a shortfall of 2,800 aged care beds by the end of the decade, yet only nine new facilities were built across Australia last year.
The Premier previously committed $100 million for 500 concessional beds but has now been told that level of funding needs to be sustained annually for at least ten years.
The State Government has sought fast-tracking of Home Care Packages and Commonwealth support for capital works but has received nothing more than “a commitment for more meetings.”
“We don’t need more meetings—we need more beds. Every day of delay leaves our hospitals overcrowded and older people waiting in limbo. If the Federal Government won’t act, then Premier Cook needs to step up and fill the gap. This is especially concerning in regional areas, where services and support are already stretched beyond capacity,” Mr Eatts said.
Despite WA being a key contributor to the national economy, generating a disproportionate share of Australia’s GDP through mining and exports, the Cook Labor Government appears to have little influence in Canberra.
“It’s unacceptable that WA continues to do the heavy lifting economically, yet can’t even secure the aged care support our people desperately need,” Mr Eatts added.
Mr Eatts is calling for a bipartisan, long-term funding plan to expand aged care infrastructure, especially in regional WA, and immediate transparency on how the initial $100 million commitment is being spent.
