University of Notre Dame Australia names new Chancellor
November 10, 2025
Catholic Health Australia – Submission to the Inquiry into Aged Care Service Delivery
November 17, 2025
Executive summary
Catholic Health Australia (CHA) is Australia’s largest non-government grouping of health, community, and aged care services accounting for approximately 12 per cent of residential aged care across Australia, in addition to around 20 per cent of aged care provision in the
home. Catholic aged care providers have a vital interest in working with the Australian Government to ensure the sustainable provision of aged care and support services for older Australians to meet community expectations of safety and quality of care.
CHA appreciates the opportunity to provide input into the consultation process to develop the Pricing Framework for Australian Support at Home Aged Care Services 2026–27. We look forward to working with the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA)
during this consultation period to ensure the Pricing Framework achieves its intended outcome – supporting a high-quality and safe aged care system for all Australians irrespective of their wealth or geography.
CHA continues to advocate for funding to be based on current levels for 12 months following the implementation of the new Act, to ensure the sector is adequately supported during the transition to the new system. CHA and its members remain concerned that IHACPA service
list prices may function as de facto price caps. As such, CHA will continue to advocate for a delayed implementation of these price caps, aligning with the phased changes to care management. This approach aims to mitigate the risk of unintended consequences—such as
the prioritisation of cost over quality in service delivery, viability concerns for some services due to reduced sector investment. Provider sustainability and consumer flexibility are particularly critical given that behavioural changes among consumers and providers are likely to emerge in the following financial year.
CHA appreciates the work undertaken by IHACPA to develop the Pricing Framework for Australian Support at Home Aged Care Services 2026–27. This submission focuses on providing a response to the consultation questions identified in the Consultation Paper, as well as articulating a need for IHACPA to publish underlying pricing data to enable an adequate assessment of the appropriateness of the Pricing Framework.
