Gov invests $250 million to help regional, rural and remote aged care

An additional $250 million in funding is being rolled out through the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP) to help improve access to quality aged care homes in regional, rural and remote communities.

Up to $200 million was initially made available, however, the government determined that an additional $50 million would be injected into the funding pool to support more projects. This investment builds on the $134.9 million allocated in Round 1 to 76 infrastructure projects.

The Australian Government announced on Thursday morning that Round 2 of ACCAP will fund 52 infrastructure projects to upgrade or build new aged care homes outside major cities and enhance cultural care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

This will help deliver more than 400 additional residential aged care places and strengthen access to dementia care support. Not-for-profit providers and small community-based operators can also utilise essential funding to modernise their aged care homes and create employment opportunities.

“Older Australians deserve access to safe and quality aged care services—regardless of where they live,” Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said. 

“Round 2 of ACCAP will help rural and remote aged care providers to deliver appropriate cultural care and create more home-like environments, with comfortable and modern amenities, more liveable spaces and fewer shared rooms.

“The Albanese Government continues to invest grant funding at unprecedented levels to support aged care providers outside of major cities, along with those that deliver specialist services.”

One-fifth of the funding is allocated to support older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders. 

This will see $25 million to support five Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations operating under the National Aboriginal and Flexible Aged Care Program and $25 million to Fresh Fields Aged Care to build a 100-bed aged care home in Perth. The organisation also received $12 million for works to be completed at Tuia Lodge. 

Fresh Fields is a division of Hall & Prior and the new home will be located in Queens Park on a 2.7-hectare site owned by Sister Kate’s Home Kids Aboriginal Corporation, a not-for-profit charitable status Stolen Generations Organisation. It is developing a Place of Healing on the Bush Block and the home was the only metropolitan project to receive ACCAP funding. 

Other successful grant applicants include Harbison Memorial Retirement Village (NSW, $27.5 million), Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (NT, $12.8 million), Bowen Old Peoples Homes Society (QLD, $14.7 million), Huon Regional Care (TAS, $17.8 million) and Meercroft Care (TAS, $16 million). 

Almost 400 applicants sought over $1.7 billion from ACCAP, signifying how many providers desperately need funds for essential projects. 

The majority of approved grants belonged to New South Wales providers (16 approved), followed by Victoria (11) and Queensland and South Australia (seven each). Nearly $65 million has been allocated to New South Wales aged care providers while Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania providers received between $42-$47 million per state.

The full list of successful grant applicants can be found here.