Media Release | 14 August 2026
Bevan Eatts MLA
Shadow Minister for Aged Care
Shadow Minister for Aged Care Bevan Eatts MLA is calling for the Federal Labor Government to explain conflicting official figures on aged care wait times, saying older Australians and their families deserve to know how long they will actually wait.
Mr Eatts said the Government’s repeated claims that aged care wait times are “continuing to fall” do not appear to align with its own published data.
According to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s recently released June data, standard-priority applicants face a wait of seven to eight months which is no change from March reports.
“Australians are being told wait times are falling, yet the published figure appears unchanged from March,” Mr Eatts said.
Mr Eatts said concerns were heightened by the absence of a June-quarter statistical report, making meaningful comparisons with previous quarters impossible. and further compounded by government reports using different methodologies to calculate waiting times.
“Families need to know whether help is around the corner or many months away,” Mr Eatts said.
“When an older person is assessed as needing care, every day matters, let alone months. Families need clear answers, not confusion.”
In response to a recent Senate Estimates question, the Department confirmed its published wait time information includes both new applicants and people seeking a higher level of care, following reassessment. However, the Department’s statutory Wait Times Report excludes reassessments altogether.
“As a result, Australians have been presented with two official wait-time figures measuring different groups of people,” Mr Eatts said. “It’s not good enough”.
Mr Eatts said he would write to Federal Minister for Aged Care Sam Rae, seeking an explanation of the different methodologies and asking for consistent, comparable wait-time reporting.
ENDS
