The figures, published by the health department and reported by ABC News, represent a 34 per cent increase from the 4,812 people who died while waiting under the previous National Priority System. However, the health department noted the figures are not directly comparable due to the transition from the older system to the current Support at Home program.
More than 106,000 Australians were on the official waiting list for a Support at Home place as of June 30. The waitlist includes people already receiving lower-level care who are waiting for a higher level to be allocated.
Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston said the data emerged after the federal government failed to comply with two Senate orders to produce the figures. "Everybody on the wait list is a person; they're not a statistic or a number," she said. "Rather than fixing the system, Labor has put its energy into avoiding scrutiny. And it is older Australians and their families who are paying the price." Ruston described the government's efforts to hide the information as "appalling".
CEO of the Council on the Ageing Australia, Patricia Sparrow, called the figures "an absolute tragedy" demonstrating how badly the system was keeping up with demand. "This shouldn't be happening … there aren't enough packages in the system [and] we need to make sure people can get the package they need within about 30 days of being assessed," she said. Sparrow warned that when people do not get support at home for basic needs like showering or eating, they can end up in hospital or be forced into residential aged care sooner.