Support at Home - Ready for blame
3 minute read
After years of consultations, countless “frameworks” and more delays than a Jetstar departure board, the Support at Home program is allegedly ready to launch on 1 November. Cue the champagne.
But the problem is only a few politicians and self-promoting industry commentators seem to think we should be celebrating.
On 23 October, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, Sam Rae told the nation there’s “no excuse” for providers not being ready. Which would be fair, if the Department hadn’t dropped the latest round of “must-read” transition documents while he was still talking.
Sure, these late releases are useful but let’s be real, useful and timely are not the same thing. Every new document means a new adjustment, a new email chain and a new level of stress. With just days to go, the ground is shifting.
The politics of ‘you should be ready’
Providers have had years to prepare. Really? For what, exactly? The program design has changed, the Act timing shifted and guidance is being reissued right up to the wire. The delay to November was dressed up as helping providers get ready. Yet we know that much of the lag sat squarely with government systems and documentation.
We’ve seen it in the NDIS, it was Bill Shorten’s playbook for years. If anything misfires, we reckon it’s providers who’ll now wear the blame. That’s not accountability, that’s the low-rent politics of scapegoating.
Implementation: the hard reality
At the moment, on paper everything looks orderly. In practice, key materials are landing late, IT portals are being drip-fed and the co-contribution messaging has left many older Australians confused about whether home care is still “free”.
Providers are now the human face of a program where they explain the rules, manage the fallout and at the same time, keep the lights on.
Small and regional services are at the bleeding edge of all the last minute planning. They don’t have spare staff to absorb new admin, reissue every agreement and reconcile new billing logic in week one. One bad month of cash flow can put an entire community at risk. The government talks about “thin markets” like they’re a weather pattern. They’re not. They’re the product of poor policy choices and they have real world consequences.
Digital first meets Monday morning
Support at Home has been sold as a “digital-first” reform. Yet the sector still lacks a well-tested, end-to-end workflow worthy of a national rollout. Some providers will make it work because they have to. Others will have very big problems. That’s what happens when testing windows are short and specifications arrive late.
Would a staggered start have been safer? Yes. Would earlier release of the final rules, consumer materials and IT standards have reduced risk? Obviously.
Minister, none of that has happened. So here’s the honest message - the next few months are going to be very messy and it is not providers who are to blame.
No excuse for poor planning
The Minister says there’s no excuse for providers not being ready. Providers, meanwhile, have spent months adapting to late changes, patchy systems and shifting expectations, all while keeping older people safe.
Minister, readiness starts at the top. There’s no excuse for a rollout built on shifting ground.
Roland Naufal
Footnote: the first few weeks
For those keeping the wheels on while the rules keep changing, here’s a practical checklist for the weeks ahead:
Anchor your client message: One page. What’s changing, what’s not and who to call. No jargon. Translate if needed.
Run a billing dry test: Send a small batch end-to-end. Check file names, submission windows, remittance timing and rejection codes.
Protect vulnerable clients: Identify anyone at risk of missed visits, equipment or medication prompts. Assign names, not roles.
Stand up an issues desk: One inbox. One daily huddle. Log, timestamp and rank issues by client impact.
Brief your frontline: Two scripts, one for clients (fees and continuity), one for staff (“what to do if the system fails”).
Protect cash flow: Daily check: work completed vs lodged vs accepted. Escalate same day.
Capture lessons: Note quick fixes and unresolved items. Send a short, factual summary to your board and departmental contact.
If things go pear-shaped, keep a live log of issues and record what guidance you followed. If you can’t meet a new requirement on day one, show that you risk-assessed, mitigated and escalated. Don’t wear the blame for decisions you didn’t make.
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