Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said two decades of inaction have left the federal government in a position where all options to fund higher standards of aged care are on the table, including a Medicare-style levy. She believes the government has a “genuine duty to deliberate” a levy on taxpayers to help fund a better-aged…

Calls for a levy to improve aged care quality have been labelled as a “lazy” way of fixing issues in the sector by federal opposition. Opposition aged care spokeswoman Anne Ruston said while there were many ways of addressing shortfalls in the industry, imposing a levy was not the answer. Aged Care Minister Anika Wells…

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government makes “no apology” for its ambitious 24/7 nursing requirement for aged care facilities, despite warnings that struggling providers will shut down if they can’t fill rosters. Wesley Mission announced it would close all its Sydney aged care homes due to being unable to meet workforce requirements by the…

The residential aged care system is under significant strain, with two-thirds of providers making a loss late last year. The aged care royal commission, which uncovered a system under stress and in dire need of reform, recommended greater transparency of the finances of aged care sector players. The first release of data, covering the September…