On 20 August 2026, the government confirmed that the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will keep operating in its current form until at least 30 June 2029.
What does it mean for Home Care Providers?
After two years of uncertainty, home support providers finally have an answer.
On 20 August 2026, the government confirmed that the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) will keep operating in its current form until at least 30 June 2029. The plan to fold CHSP into Support at Home has been put on hold. For the roughly 1,300 organisations delivering these services, the program they depend on is staying for now.
The merger was expected no earlier than July 2027, and the prospect had shaped provider decisions for some time. Services held off on hiring, deferred investment, and in some cases stepped back from delivery altogether because they could not see a stable future. Several local councils said uncertainty directly led them to withdraw from CHSP. I personally know of two important services here in the Loddon-Mallee, VIC that relinquished their funding because of the proposed changes and uncertainty about the future of funding under their service categories.
At least now, a little late for some, the extension removes the immediate cause of that hesitation and gives providers a firm horizon to plan against.
What the decision covers
We have broken it down for you:
- CHSP continues as a standalone, block-funded program until at least 30 June 2029.
- The plan to merge it into Support at Home, previously expected from July 2027, has been dropped.
- Services stay the same: domestic assistance, shopping, Meals on Wheels, transport, home maintenance, social support, and allied health.
- Around 830,000 ageing Australians use these services, and close to 40% of them live outside the major cities.
- The provider base is unchanged, taking in state and local governments, not-for-profits, and community groups.
The reasoning behind the reversal is as significant as the decision itself. A Senate inquiry had recommended that CHSP remain separate and block-funded, and the sector had warned that Support at Home was already struggling to meet existing demand. Adding 830,000 more people to it would have compounded that strain.
Health Minister Mark Butler framed CHSP as doing something Support at Home was never built to do, keeping people well and independent before they need more intensive care. CHSP is now being treated as a program with its own purpose rather than a temporary arrangement waiting to be absorbed.
Which is good news for all.
What it means in practice
The clearest benefit is planning certainty.
Providers now have a defined period to work with, making it possible to commit to staff, set realistic budgets, and hold service levels steady rather than managing everything with hesitation about the future. For regional and remote services in particular, where a single provider often serves an entire community, continuity to 2029 protects ageing individuals with no other options in their local communities.
The extension does not fix the sector’s financial pressures, and providers should not read it as though it does. Funding has been tight, and many organisations are still operating under contracts written years ago that no longer reflect what delivery actually costs. Ageing Australia and other sector bodies welcomed the announcement while keeping this messaging clear.
Two more years of certainty is worth having, but it does not change the costs of a service that was already running close to its last dollars.
The consultation is where the detail sits
The government has committed to consulting this year on the program’s long-term future, and that process will matter more to most providers than the extension itself.
Three questions are open:
- Block funding: whether it continues, given it is the model community providers are structured around, and the one most want to keep.
- Client contributions: where the balance falls between a fair contribution and a fee that puts services out of reach for the people who need them.
- Early intervention: the role of low-level support in keeping people healthier for longer and easing pressure elsewhere in the system.
These decisions will determine what CHSP looks like beyond 2029 and how sustainable it is to deliver. Providers who want to influence funding models, contribution settings, and contract terms will need to engage with the consultation while it is live rather than waiting to see what emerges from it. Make sure your voice is heard. We will keep you updated when calls for submissions are made.
Where this leaves providers
The program is secure through to mid-2029, the immediate threat of absorption into an overloaded system is gone, and there is genuine room to steady operations and plan properly.
For providers, the priorities now are to:
- Use the certainty to stabilise staffing, budgets, and service levels across the funded period.
- Keep pressing on the cost and contract issues the extension leaves untouched.
- Engage with the consultation while it is open, and make the case for the settings that keep these services viable beyond 2029.
At the NGO Training Centre, we are here to support you along the way. We will keep you updated on the latest news on our In The News page.
If your CHSP Staff need valuable training to continue to support your workforce, we are here for you.
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Author: Amanda Robinson (She/Her) BA, MMHealthPrac.
Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Country
Amanda, Head of Learning and Development and an experienced specialist in NDIS and Aged Care, promotes capability and sustainability within the disability and health sectors. With over 15 years of experience, a Master’s in Mental Health Leadership and Management, and an MBA underway, she offers extensive expertise and personal insight as someone with lived experience of disability. A military veteran and dedicated carer of a veteran, Amanda advocates for Human Rights, striving to reduce stigma and eliminate barriers for those with disability and mental health challenges. She is enthusiastic about fostering strong stakeholder relationships through her advocacy, communication, strategic thinking, and analytical abilities.
