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CHA’s Budget Week Dialogue ’24 Click here to see more Budget week photos.
It’s often called the “Canberra bubble” for its perceived remoteness and isolation from the rest of the country, but last week in Canberra felt like the centre of the universe.
Catholic Health Australia and a delegation of 25 aged care CEOs and senior executives spent three days in the nation’s capital as part of CHA’s Budget Week Dialogue ’24. In its first year, the event gave our members unprecedented access to politicians from all stripes through a series of post-budget briefings at Parliament House.
First up was a meeting with Department of Health and Aged Care’s Deputy Secretary Michael Lye and his leadership team who were incredible generous with their time, displaying their real commitment to working with stakeholders from across the Catholic sector.
The session raised many ideas that will bear fruit in coming months.
Our members also had the opportunity to meet with Aged Care Minister Anika Wells, Shadow Health and Aged Care Minister Senator Anne Ruston and MPs from the Parliamentary Friends of Ageing, led by Rebecca Sharkey and Mike Freelander.
CHA put out two media releases on Budget night. We were disappointed that the Aged Care Taskforce recommendations were not addressed but eagerly await the government’s response in the coming weeks. Positively, we did learn that the Government is now allowing flexibility to meet up to 10 per cent of the registered nurse care minutes target with care time provided by enrolled nurses. This is a great policy change that eases pressure on the aged care workforce.
After two years of campaigning, CHA convinced the government to keep General Use Items used in surgeries on the Prescribed List. The move to roll back negative changes from the previous Government showed great leadership by Minister Butler. It is a huge win for our advocacy and will save our hospitals up to $80m a year. You can read more from Alex Lynch in this edition of Health Matters.
Next week, CHA is hosting a webinar for members on 29 May titled“Caring for the whole person: Supporting LGBTIQ+ people in Catholic Aged Care Services.” In this webinar, we’ll explore the unique challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ individuals in aged care settings and delve into practical strategies to create safer, more inclusive environments within our Catholic and mission-based services. The webinar will be led by experts in both aged care and advocacy and promises to be a transformative journey towards building communities where every individual feels valued, and cherished.
We are also continuing our Guiding Lights webinar series on palliative care and end of life support in July.
We are busy organising this year’s CHA Conference “Rejoice, Reimagine” being held at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney between August 26-28.
We hope to bring you more information on the line up as soon as we can. In the meantime, please save the date in your diaries as it promises to be an exciting few days bringing our friends and colleagues together.
May 21, 2026
April 30, 2026
April 30, 2026