The ACT will gain more than 250 aged care places worth an estimated $14 million under funding arrangements announced on Thursday.
The territory was allocated about $13.5 million to deliver a recommended 211 new residential aged care places in the ACT and 50 home care places, under the latest federal government Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR).
Nationally more than 17,500 new aged care places worth an estimated $833 million will be delivered.
Assistant Minister for social services Mitch Fifield said the funding would help meet demand for residential aged care across Australia and support people to stay in their homes for longer.
ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja said the number of new aged care places in the ACT was proportional to the territory’s population.
“The government believes older Australians want and deserve to have the support and care they need to live active and healthy lives and to continue to choose the aged care services they need,” he said.
“The majority of new aged care places recommended for the ACT are increases to existing services, with the new services set to benefit older Australians who choose home care over residential care.”
In the electorate of Eden-Monaro, funding was allocated for 18 aged care places.
The ACT facilities that will benefit include Bupa Aranda, Calwell Community Aged Care, St Nicholas Home for the Aged in Kingston and Kincare ACT Extended Dementia Care in Deakin.
The ACT did not receive any capital grants under the latest aged care approvals round.
“Overall competition for new residential aged care places was the strongest in several years,” the latest ACAR results said.
“This high level of competition meant that otherwise suitable applications were not successful in obtaining new places because other applicants in the region were more competitive.”