Australians living in remote and regional areas face growing gaps in essential care services, according to a new Anglicare Australia report. The study says services that support older people, families, and vulnerable groups are stretched thin, underfunded, and unable to keep up with demand.
The report, In Every Community, was released in late August as part of Anglicare Australia’s Australia Fair research series. It warns that while services such as disability support, mental health care, aged care, and family programs are vital, they are often delivered with short-term funding, insecure staffing, and little consideration for local need.
Drawing on accounts from Anglicare members across the country, the report highlights how people in remote and regional communities must contend with harder-to-access services than those in cities. Funding, it says, is too often tied to population levels rather than the unique challenges of rural life, forcing local providers to “deliver more with less.”
“These are vital services,” said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers. “But instead of being funded to meet local need, they’re too often treated as one-size-fits-all.”
Community services plug the gap in critical workforce shortages as a result, with little or no government support.
“Governments are planning from the centre, but expecting communities to pick up the pieces around the edges when funding doesn’t meet demand, or staff can’t be found,” said Chambers.
Chambers said the Anglicare network is responding to the challenge despite the obstacles. “Across the country, our members are growing their own workforces, building housing for their own staff, and partnering with local schools, training providers, and FirstNations organisations,” she said.
“These solutions are working, but they are too often treated as one-offs. We need governments to back them in — not just with words, but with long-term, flexible funding so services can grow and stay in the communities they serve.”
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in a web report on Older Australians, last updated on July 2, 2024, with original figures cited in 2020, revealed that 1 out of 3 Australians aged 65-plus live in remote and very remote regions of the country. 22% receive support from aged care home support programs.
“Older people who live in remote and very remote areas can face more barriers to accessing aged care services than older people living in major cities and regional areas," stated the web report.
"A range of demographic, geographical, climatic, cultural and socioeconomic factors contribute to the complexity of providing high-quality aged care services, especially in rural and remote communities.”
These services for older people also matter to their welfare, according to the institute.
Providing support is essential to help older Australians maintain their health and independence. This can include assistance with mobility, self-care, communication, health needs, emotional or cognitive tasks, household chores, meal preparation, literacy, and transport. Such help may come through formal services or informally from family, friends, or neighbors.
