Government must help not-for-profit providers deal with the negative impacts of climate change

Catholic Health Australia is calling on the next government to help not-for-profit health and aged care providers deal with the negative impacts of climate change in order to prevent costs being passed on to patients and residents.

“The health and aged care sectors are already battling the impacts of climate change,” said Catholic Health Australia CEO Jason Kara.

“Climate change is a major risk for human health as heatwaves cause heat stress, dehydration, and heart problems, while bushfires, floods, and storms damage and disrupt care delivery.

“Not-for-profit hospitals and aged care services are having to spend more on responding to climate-driven incidents and need support from government to keep services affordable.”

CHA, which represents 80 hospitals and 350 aged care facilities, is calling for a national approach to climate planning in the health sector, ensuring that not for profit healthcare providers can work with government services on risk assessments, decarbonisation, and emergency preparedness.

“When a climate-driven disaster strikes, health systems need to function as a network, not in silos,” said Mr Kara.

“The next government should support greater collaboration between public and not-for-profit providers to ensure our community’s hospitals and aged care facilities can respond effectively.”

Many hospitals in Australia operate in co-located settings where public and private facilities exist side by side, yet they are often unable to share resources, procurement strategies, or emergency preparedness plans. Without a shared strategy, the health sector remains fragmented in its response to climate change.

Catholic Health Australia is calling for:

• Greater coordination between government and not-for-profit providers on climate and health risk assessments, adaptation planning, capability building and green procurement guidelines
• A government-led sector-wide decarbonisation roadmap for not-for-profit health and aged care providers
• Support for scenario planning and emergency preparedness, and the transition to low-carbon operations for the not-for-profit aged care facilities
• Consistent waste management policies across jurisdictions for health and aged care providers

To learn more about Election 2025, visit our website at cha.org.au/campaigns