Melbourne

That would have to include pensions and other welfare instead, I think actual aged care is about 8% of govt. expenditure.

A lot of the problem is that aged care is just really expensive, especially as we are able to keep people alive for longer with higher needs. We also have a system which sucks a lot of money out into the hands of private providers, which is not something I can see changing as long as the dominant cultural opinion is that Govt. services = expensive bureaucracy, and that private providers = efficient, competitive services. The reality is generally the opposite, especially when services are being provided to vulnerable people who are not able to advocate for themselves. A system where elderly people who are struggling to manage on their own are expected to compare providers and shop around for the best deal is ridiculous, but that is what we have. And instead of the scams and rorting by providers who overcharge and mismanage the care packages being addressed, they are adding in more restrictions on what elderly people can actually receive. A top level home care package can provide $60k a year in funding - about $21k of that goes directly in management fees to the package management company, then more gets sucked out through fees with the agencies that actually provide the staff, high profit margins on supplies and equipment etc.