UnitingCare Australia welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Community Affairs Senate Committee’s Inquiry into the transition of the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) to the Support at Home Program. Noting that Support at Home commenced on 1 November 2025, this inquiry provides a much-needed opportunity for the sector to examine the CHSP and consider the best approach for its pending transition.

Across the UnitingCare Network, our providers deliver aged care services to approximately 53,800 CHSP clients, meaning we are well placed to comment on the current operation of the CHSP, as well as the risks to be considered when absorbing this program into Support at Home. We note this submission has been prepared in consultation with the UnitingCare Network, including our Home Care Community of Practice, the insights of which have been invaluable for understanding the realities of delivering home care services.

As a network, we advocate that this transition be delayed until at least mid-2028; and then staged out over two to three years, so that the final rollout concludes no earlier than mid-2030. This is to ensure continuity of service for all home care clients and reduce the administrative risk for providers. In the interim, we also recommend the CHSP be strengthened through reform to program rules, guidelines and increased funding, otherwise it will continue to be a stopgap for those waiting for a Support at Home package.

Download the PDF to read our submission in full.

About UnitingCare Australia

UnitingCare Australia is the national body for the Uniting Church’s community services network and is an agency of the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia.

We give voice to the Uniting Church’s commitment to social justice through advocacy and by strengthening community service provisions.

We are the largest network of social service providers in Australia, supporting 1.4 million people every year across urban, rural, and remote communities.

Our aged care network delivers services to approximately 95,000 older people and has more than 220 residential aged care homes across all states and territories, including in capital cities, regional towns, and very remote parts of Australia.

We focus on articulating and meeting the needs of people at all stages of life and those that are most vulnerable.