Australia’s aged care system is gearing up for one of its biggest shake-ups yet. The Support at Home program, set to launch on 1 July, aims to merge existing in-home care arrangements into a single, streamlined, person-centred reform. Or at least, that’s the theory.

In practice, we’re less than two months until go-live, and critical components, from rules to IT systems, are still AWOL. Providers are preparing for a grand opening with no doors, no signage and a strong chance the power won’t be connected.

This isn’t just a bureaucratic fumble. If left unchecked, the rollout risks becoming a full-blown disaster for older Australians, frontline providers, and the incoming Minister for Aged Care, Sam Rae.

Reform reality check

Let’s take a quick stocktake. The new Aged Care Act has passed Parliament, but it hasn’t commenced. Draft rules are still just that: drafts. Pricing remains somewhere between “coming soon” and “don’t hold your breath". The central IT system has not been released, and most consumers have no idea anything is changing. This is a major national reform proceeding with minimal clarity or co-ordination.

This puts providers in an impossible situation: act early and risk future non-compliance, or delay and risk being unprepared. Neither option is acceptable. Let’s walk through the five most pressing issues.

1. Unfinalised rules

As of today, we’re still working from draft rules. Providers are being told to build new service agreements, set up systems, and prepare their workforce – all based on regulations that haven’t been finalised.

We’re still missing:

• Confirmed pricing rules;
• Mandatory inclusions for service agreements and when they must be re-signed;
• Core guidance documents (like Assistive Technology & Home Modifications and End-of-Life pathway); and
• Consumer protection details.

Once again, this places providers with a lose-lose choice: act now and risk being wrong or wait and risk not being ready. Neither option protects the older people we’re here to support.

2. The workforce plan: cross your fingers

One of the great Support at Home assumptions is that there’s a ready, trained workforce just waiting to spring into action.

The reality?

• The sector is already short on staff;
• Those in place are still wrapping their heads around the current system;
• The rules are long, confusing, and still subject to change; and
• Nobody has time to translate all that into something an 89-year-old can understand at intake.

The reform assumes capacity and capability that simply doesn’t exist, it’s a chimera.

3. Financial viability: price uncertainty now, price caps later

This year, providers can set their own prices. In theory, that sounds empowering. In practice, it’s a recipe for confusion. Meanwhile, consumers are being told prices will be capped from 1 July 2026, making it harder for providers to explain costs or plan ahead. Add to that a 10% cap on care management, ambiguous billing guidance and a system that still hasn’t been tested in the real world.

Providers are being asked to lock in service agreements, stand up new models, and prepare for a capped environment, all before the pricing model has been finalised. That’s not financial sustainability, that’s incredibly poor policy practice.

4. The IT illusion

Support at Home is supposed to be digital-first. There’s just one problem: the digital part doesn’t exist. The payment system hasn’t been released. There’s no test environment. No user manuals. No timeline. Providers are being asked to prepare their teams and build workflows for a system that doesn’t yet exist. It’s like being told to fly a plane that hasn’t been built yet (and where have we heard that metaphor before?).

5. Reform fatigue is real

If all that wasn’t enough, providers are also contending with:

• The new Aged Care Quality Standards;
• The incoming new Aged Care Act; and
• New compliance and reporting obligations.

Time to rethink

Providers are facing impossible choices. Should they keep clients on old contracts and risk breaching new requirements? Or pre-emptively move people to new ones based on incomplete, possibly incorrect, guidance? As legal experts have pointed out, either route comes with risk and older Australians will be left without clarity or security. What’s needed now is not another optimistic announcement, but immediate action to prevent this reform from imploding.

Recommended urgent actions

1. Announce a staggered start Let providers onboard gradually. A staggered start would reduce chaos, increase safety, and allow the sector to adjust in real time.
2. Set a clear deadline for final rules Confirm and publish the final rules — including pricing, agreements, and service definitions — by a hard deadline. Enough with the “coming soon”.
3. Fund a national provider readiness package Grants are needed for IT, training, care management systems and participant communications. This is especially critical for smaller and regional providers. And please, spare us the offensive “we offered everyone $10k” line.
4. Publish a national implementation timeline A clear, public roadmap for when systems go live, when payments start, when staff onboarding is expected and who’s responsible for what. Most importantly, stick to it.
5. Release interoperability standards now Software vendors are stuck in limbo. Publish technical specs and set a national baseline for system compatibility to avoid a patchwork mess.
6. Provide a billing and payment sandbox Let providers trial invoices, test transactions, and model payments in a safe test environment before go-live. This would prevent early chaos.
7. Launch a consumer communications campaign Providers can’t carry this alone. Launch a national campaign, provide translated materials, and set up a helpline. A start has been made, but more needs to be done.
8. Appoint a public implementation leader We need a single, visible leader (think: Support at Home commissioner) with operational clout and public accountability. Not just a program manager.

Rebuilding trust before it’s too late

Support at Home could still be a game-changer. But not like this. There’s still time to turn it around. But it requires more than tweaks. It requires real leadership, transparency, and trust. Trust from providers who’ve held the system together this far. Trust from older Australians who’ve heard it all before. And trust in the government to get it right this time.