General News
12 September, 2026
Care changes bring uncertainty
FOR Stawell resident Wendy Melbourne, home help is about much more than getting the housework done. The 84-year-old and her husband Jim receive domestic assistance through Northern Grampians Shire Council once a fortnight, helping them continue living independently in their own home. But like more than 300 Community Care clients across Northern Grampians Shire, Mrs Melbourne knows the way that support is delivered will soon change. Council voted in July to withdraw from direct Community Care delivery early next year following a review prompted by Federal Government aged-care reforms.
"By having someone coming in and doing things once a fortnight, it’s really handy,” she said.
“It is keeping us in our house longer.”
Mrs Melbourne said she understood change was coming, but not yet knowing exactly what the new arrangements would look like was unsettling.
“Just get our message across that we’re very concerned about who’s supplying the service and how long we have to wait,” she said.
One of the things Mrs Melbourne values about home assistance is familiarity with the people coming into her home.
She has wondered whether some of the existing council workers will continue providing services under the new arrangements and said workers she had spoken with were themselves unsure.
“One said some might leave,” she said.
“It’s the familiarity with the worker.”
Another consideration for Mrs Melbourne is navigating an aged-care system involving numerous organisations and services.
“Well, I don’t go online,” she said.
“I’m still learning how to do Google things and on the phone.
“I’m 84. I suppose I should be a bit more computing.”
Mrs Melbourne said she had previously accessed home assistance following a doctor’s referral, but found the broader aged-care system increasingly complicated.
“I worry about that,” she said.
“There just seems to be nothing simple.”
Council’s decision to withdraw from direct service delivery followed broader changes to Commonwealth aged-care arrangements.
Council said when announcing the decision that future reforms would move away from the existing block funding model and create greater financial uncertainty and increased compliance obligations.
It said alternative providers could operate under different cost structures, wage agreements and economies of scale.
About 30 council staff are also affected by the transition.
Council has endorsed Grampians Community Health and East Wimmera Health Service as its preferred providers, although the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care will make the final decision on who delivers the services.
When announcing its decision, council said it was confident both organisations had the capacity to take over existing clients if approved by the Commonwealth.
For Mrs Melbourne, what matters most is knowing the support that helps her and Jim remain in their home will continue through the changes ahead.
Read More: Stawell