The latest Productivity Commission Report on Government Services 2025 highlights some progress in aged care wait times, with the median wait for residential aged care dropping to 136 days in 2023-24, down from 152 days in 2018-19. Similarly, wait times for home care services saw a significant reduction, falling to 118 days from 168 days the previous year.

Despite the improvement, challenges still persist in the system, with over 76,000 people still waiting for a Home Care Package and expected wait times for Level 4 packages stretching to 15 months—well above the Government’s goal of reducing wait times to three months by 2027.

While workforce turnover appears to be stabilising, and aged care subsidies have increased, the report also flags concerns around delays in ACAT assessments and outdated data on unmet care needs. The full report contains extensive insights into these ongoing issues. Read more here.