Aged care waitlist deaths jump amid funding backlog for 100,000

Key points

• An average of 17 older Australians died daily in 2025-26 while waiting for home care funding, a 34 per cent increase from the previous year.
• Over 100,000 Australians are stuck in a funding backlog, often leading to earlier hospitalisation or residential aged care.
• The Opposition accused the government of hiding the data, while aged care advocates described the figures as tragic and demanded faster access to care packages.