EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors

Aged Care (Places Available for Allocation to Individuals 2026-2027) Determination 2026

Purpose

The Aged Care (Places Available for Allocation to Individuals 2026-2027) Determination 2026 (Determination) establishes a methodology for the 2026-2027 financial year, from which the number of places available to be allocated to individuals for each service group under the Aged Care Act 2024 (Act) can be worked out. This Determination remakes the Aged Care (Places Available for Allocation to Individuals 2025-2026) Determination 2025 (the previous Determination) for the new financial year commencing 1 July 2026 as required by subsection 91(1) of the Act.

Background

The structure of Chapter 2 of the Act gives effect to Government’s Places to People policy, which takes a person-centred approach to the availability of aged care. It is premised on individuals receiving approvals for service groups, with classification types, and classification levels for those service groups, and then being allocated a place  when available. Individuals use the place to access funded aged care services through a provider of their choice.

This Determination is to prescribe a method to be used at any time during a financial year to work out the number of places available for allocation to individuals for each service group in a financial year. The System Governor will then allocate places to individuals in accordance with the Aged Care Act 2024.

This Determination is made for the 2026-2027 financial year and will be remade annually in accordance with subsection 91(1) of the Act.

Authority

This instrument is made under made subsection 91(1) of the Act (as amended by the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2025). Subsection 91(1) provides that the Minister must, in writing, determine a method for a financial year, that may be used at any time during that year, for working out the following:

Reliance on section 4 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901

Section 4 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 provides that where an Act is enacted and at a time after its enactment the Act will confer a power to make an appointment, or to make an instrument of a legislative or administrative character, the power may be exercised before the Act’s commencement as if the commencement had occurred. 

Consultation

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has consulted with the Department of Finance throughout the preparation of this instrument.

Commencement

This Determination commences on 1 July 2026. 

General  

This Determination is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2003 (Legislation Act). Section 42 (disallowance) of the Legislation Act does not apply to the making of this determination (see subsection 91(5) of the Act).

The exemption from disallowance is justified on the basis that the determination is an internal tool to manage Government spending and administration resources in accordance with decisions made through the annual Budget process. Ensuring that the determination is exempt from disallowance minimises the risk of uncertainty that would arise if the determination was disallowed and the Minister could not set out the method for working out the number of available places, leaving the System Governor unable to allocate places to individuals to facilitate access to funded aged care services.

Details of this Determination are set out in Attachment A. 

Attachment A

Details of the Aged Care (Places Available for Allocation to Individuals 2026-2027) Determination 2026

Part 1—Preliminary

Section 1  –  Name

This section sets out the way to cite the proposed instrument, as the Aged Care (Places Available for Allocation to Individuals 2026-2027) Determination 2026.  

Section 2  –  Commencement

This section sets out the date the instrument commences, being 1 July 2026.

Section 3  –   Authority

This section provides that the authority for making this Determination is subsection 91(1) of the Act.

Section 4  –  Definitions

This section sets out the definitions for terms referred to in this Determination as follows:

Act means the Aged Care Act 2024.

Age-sex group means a category of persons of a specific age (in one-year increments) and sex.

Anticipated tier value means the amount calculated as per subsection 15(2) of the Determination.

approvals data means data produced by the Department for the previous financial year that specifies the number of older persons approved for residential permanent care and residential respite care by age, and sex.

average AT place cost is the number worked out as follows:

• calculate the sum of all tier amounts under sections 212-5 and 212-10 of the Rules applicable to individuals who have an approval in effect for the service group assistive technology under section 65 of the Act;
• divide the number at paragraph (a) by the number of individuals to whom that amount relates.

average HM place cost is the number worked out as follows:

• calculate the total of all tier amounts under section 221-5 of the Rules applicable to individuals who have an approval in effect for the service group home modifications under section 65 of the Act;
• divide the number at paragraph (a) by the number of individuals to whom that amount relates.

average SAH place cost is the amount worked as per subsection 8(2).

committed expenditure for a particular service group, classification type or classification level, means the amount of funding calculated by the Department to be required for all individuals who have an approval in effect under section 65 of the Act and have been allocated a place under section 92 of the Act for that service group, classification type or classification level, for the financial year, including subsidies, fee reductions and supplements related to each individual.

financial year means the 2026-2027 financial year commencing on 1 July 2026 and ending on 30 June 2027.

forecast expenditure for a period, means the Department’s estimated expenditure for the period based on committed expenditure, consideration of the wait list and forecast new approvals. 

general population data means the population data in the Annual Population Statement produced by Treasury for Australians aged 65 and over and sorted by age and sex.

previous financial year means the 2025-2026 financial year commencing on 1 July 2025 and ending on 30 June 2026.

Rules means the Aged Care Rules 2025.

special appropriation means the amount of funding agreed by the Government of the Commonwealth to be allocated for the financial year to fund places in a service group, classification type or classification level as authorised by a provision within the Act.

The legislative note at the beginning of the section explains that a number of expressions used in this Determination are defined in the Act, including:

classification level: see subsection 81(1) of the Rules.

classification type: each of the following is a classification type:

• ongoing;
• short-term;
• hospital transition.

a service group means any of the following:

• home support;
• residential care;
• assistive technology;
• home modifications.

tier amount:

• The tier amount for an individual for an account period for a classification type for the service group assistive technology is the amount prescribed by the rules.
• The tier amount for an individual for an account period for a classification type for the service group home modifications is the amount prescribed by the rules.

Section 5 – Simplified outline of this instrument

Section 5 provides a simplified outline of the Determination. This is intended to assist the reader to understand the purpose and contents of the instrument.

Section 5 provides that the instrument is made under subsection 91(1) of the Act and provides a method for the financial year 2026-2027 to make a point in time calculation of:

• how many places remain available to be allocated to individuals for the service groups home support, residential care, assistive technology and home modification;
• how many of those places for each service group are available for allocation to either the ongoing or short-term classification types; and
• how many of those places for each classification type are available for allocation to a particular classification level.

For the service group home support, this instrument also provides a method for calculating how many of the places are available for allocation as interim places or full places.

For some classification types and classification levels, the places available will be up to the point the relevant budget is fully utilised. This means that there is no cap on how many places are available for that classification type or classification level, other than the number of places available for their respective service group.

Part 2 — Home support

Section 6 – Method for working out the number of places available for the service group home support

Section 6 provides, for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(a) of the Act the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the service group home support is to calculate the sum of the available places for the following classification levels and classification types in the following order: 

• the classification level SAH restorative care pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support as calculated under paragraph 10(1)(d)
• the classification level SAH end-of-life pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support as calculated under paragraph 9(1)(b)
• the classification type ongoing for the service group home support as calculated under paragraph 8(1)(c).              

Section 7 – Method for working out the number of places available for the classification type short-term for the service group home support

Section 7 provides that for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(b) of the Act, the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the classification type short-term for the service group home support is that the number of places available is the number of places available for the service group as worked out by section 6. This is because the End of Life classification level for the classification type short term for the service group home support is funded from the same budget as the classification type ongoing for the service group home support, and there is no cap on the number of places for End of Life classification level  for the classification type short-term for the service group home support.

Section 8 – Method for working out the number of places available for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support

Section 8 provides for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(b) of the Act, the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals for the financial year for the classification type ongoing, for the service group home support. The method as provided for by subsection (1) is outlined below.

Paragraph (a) is the first step in the calculation and involves subtracting the following amounts from the special appropriation for the service group home support:             

• the committed expenditure for service group home support, classification type ongoing;
• the SAH restorative care pathway special appropriation;
• the committed expenditure for the SAH end-of-life pathway; and
• the committed expenditure for the SAH restorative care pathway insofar as it relates to supplements for individuals who meet the criteria under subsections 196-15(1), 196-20(1) or 196-25(1) of the Rules.

Paragraph (b) is the second step in the calculation and requires multiplying the average SAH place cost by the remaining days in the financial year.

Paragraph (c) is the third step in the calculation and requires dividing the number worked out at paragraph (a) (step 1) by the number worked out at paragraph (b) (step 2).

Subsection (2) provides the method for working out the average SAH place cost for the financial year.

Paragraphs (a) and (b) provide the amounts to be summed to give the total cost, while paragraph (c) gives the number to divide the costs by to get the average.

The amounts in paragraph (a) are the ones that apply to individuals who have had a full place in effect for the classification levels SAH Class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and HCP Class 1, 2, 3 and 4, for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support at any time this financial year, specifically the:

• base individual amounts under subsection 194-5(2) of the rules;
• primary-person centred supplements under 196-10 of the rules;
• provider based subsidy under section 204-5 of the rules; and
• provider-based supplements under section 205-15 of the rules.

The amounts in paragraph (b) relate to individuals who have been allocated a place for the classification level SAH restorative care pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support, as supplements for this classification level are not drawn from the special appropriation amount for SAH restorative care pathway.

Paragraph (c) advises to sum the amounts worked out in paragraph (a) and (b) to give the total cost.

Paragraph (d) requires dividing the amount in paragraph (c) by the total number of individuals who have a full place in effect for the classification levels SAH Class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and HCP class 1, 2, 3 and 4 for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support.

Subsection 8(3) sets out that if paragraph 13(1)(a) of this determination applies (i.e. the average SAH place cost is being used to calculate the number of interim places available), then the average SAH place cost is calculated by following the steps in paragraph (a), but with the subsidy amounts at subparagraph 8(2)(a)(i) and subparagraph 8(2)(a)(iii) reduced to 60% of their total value. This changes the average SAH place cost into an average SAH ‘interim’ place cost, as an individual accessing services under an interim place is only allocated 60% of the subsidy amounts, but still receives entitlement to 100% of any applicable supplement amounts.

Section 9 – Method for working out the number of places available for the classification level SAH end-of-life pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support

Section 9 provides that for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the classification level SAH end-of-life pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support is to identify the lesser of:

• the number of individuals who have an access approval in effect for the classification level SAH end-of-life pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support but have not yet been allocated a place; or
• the number calculated by subtracting the committed expenditure for the service group home support from the special appropriation for home support and dividing that number by the SAH end-of life funding value.

Subsection (2) provides that the SAH end of life funding value is the number of days for initial credit prescribed by paragraph 195-1(a) of the Rules multiplied by the base individual amount for the SAH end-of-life pathway prescribed by item 2 of subsection 194-10(2) of the Rules.

Section 10 – Method for working out the number of places available for the classification level SAH restorative care pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support

Section 10 provides for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the classification level SAH restorative care pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support is provided for by subsection (1) as outlined below.

Paragraph (a) is the first step in the method and requires calculating the committed expenditure for the classification level SAH restorative care pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support minus any amounts relating to supplements for individuals who meet the criteria under subsections 196-15(1), 196-20(1) or 196-25(1) of the Rules. This produces the number of funding units (places) that have already been allocated to individuals. The committed expenditure for this classification level does not include the funding related to the supplements these individuals may be approved for; that funding is not drawn from the portion of the home support service group special appropriation that is reserved for restorative care pathway services. However, it does include additional funding allocated to individuals under section 195(3A).

Paragraph (b) is the second step in the method and provides that the number at paragraph (a) needs to be divided by the restorative care funding value, and paragraph (c) requires that that amount is then subtracted from the quarterly limit.

Paragraph (d) then provides that if the number worked out is less than 1 then there are no places available. If the number is more than or equal to 1, the number of places available for allocation for the classification level SAH restorative care pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support is that number.

Subsection (2) provides that the restorative care funding value is the maximum period of effect prescribed by section 80-55 of the rules multiplied by the base individual amount for the classification level SAH restorative care pathway for the classification type short-term for the service group home support prescribed by item 1 of subsection 194-10(2) of the Rules.

Subsection (3) provides that the quarters and their quarterly limits are:

Section 11 – Method for working out the number of places available for the transitional classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group home support

Section 11 provides that

Because the following classes will not be open to new entrants under the Support at Home program, but are included for transitioning participants the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the following classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group home support is zero:

• STRC class;
• HSST NATSIFACP;
• HSST MPSP.

Section 12 – Method for working out the number of places available for all classification levels for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support

Section 12 provides for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for all classification levels for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support.

Paragraph (a) provides that for the classification levels SAH Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and classification levels HCP class 1, 2, 3 and 4, for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support, the number of places for each classification level is up to the number of places available for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support as worked out by section 8, allocated until such point as the special appropriation for the classification type is fully utilised. While the classification levels HCP class 1, 2, 3 and 4 are transitional classes, there are a number of individuals with one of these classification levels in the Support at Home Priority System waiting for a place to be allocated.

Paragraph (b) provides that for the following classification levels for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support, the number of places available to be allocated to individuals for the financial year is zero. This is because service delivery to individuals under CHSP, NATSIFACP and MPSP are managed through ‘places to providers’ and a separate Determination is required under section 94 of the Act.

• CHSP class;
• CHSP transitional;
• HSO NATSIFACP; and
• HSO MPSP;

Section 13 – Method for working out the number of places available for interim places for the service group home support

Section 13 provides for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(d) of the Act the method for working out the number of interim places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for all classification levels for the classification types ongoing and short-term for the service group home support in this part is:

• if the forecast expenditure exceeds the special appropriation for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support, 100 % of places available for allocation for classification levels SAH Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and classification levels HCP class 1, 2, 3, and 4, for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support are available to be interim places; and
• 0% of places available for allocation for the classification levels SAH restorative care pathway and SAH end-of-life pathway for the classification type short term for the service group home support are available to be interim places. This is because SAH restorative care pathway and SAH end-of-life pathway always receive a full place.

Section 14  –  Method for working out the number of places available for full places for the service group home support

Section 14 provides for the purposes of the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(d) of the Act, the method for working out the number of full places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for all classification levels for the classification types ongoing and short-term for the service group home support in this part is:

• if the forecast expenditure does not exceed the special appropriation for the classification type ongoing for the service group home support, 100 % of places available for allocation for the classification levels SAH Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and classification levels HCP class 1, 2, 3, and 4, for classification type ongoing for the service group home support are available to be full places.
• 100% of places available for allocation for the classification levels SAH restorative care pathway and SAH end-of-life pathway for the classification type short-term, are available to be full places.

Part 3— Assistive Technology

Section 15 – Method for working out the number of places available for the service group assistive technology

Section 15 provides the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals for the service group assistive technology at a time in the financial year. The method includes amounts for the service group home modifications as the special appropriation for this financial year is a single amount for both service groups.

The steps in subsection (1) are:

• Paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) work together to determine the amount of the combined assistive technology and home modifications special appropriation that is available for each remaining month of the financial year.
  • First, paragraph (a), estimate the calculate the anticipated tier value using the method set out in subsection (2) (paragraph (a)). This amount is a proxy for the committed expenditure to date for the financial year across the assistive technology and home modifications service groups;
  • Second, paragraph (b), subtract that amount (the anticipated tier value calculated under subsection (a)) from the combined special appropriation for the service groups home modifications and assistive technology;
  • Third, paragraph (c), divide the remaining appropriation as worked out in paragraph (b) by the remaining number of months in the financial year, including the current month. For example, if it is March, the remaining number of months in the financial year is four. This ensures places are available each month of the financial year;

• Paragraphs (d) and (e) calculate the ratio of the number of places allocated for the service group assistive technology to the number of places allocated for the service group home modifications to date for the financial year.
  • Fourthly, paragraph (d), calculate the demand for assistive technology by summing the number of individuals allocated a place for the service group assistive technology or service group home modifications in the financial year, and divide that number by the number of individuals allocated a place for the service group assistive technology in this financial year. This results in the percentage of places allocated for the assistive technology service group;
  • Fifth, paragraph (e), subtract the demand for assistive technology (the percentage amount calculated in paragraph (d)) from the number 1, to derive the demand for home modifications (also a percentage);  
• Paragraphs (f), (g) and (h) use the ratios calculated in paragraphs (d) and (e) to establish a weighted average combined assistive technology and home modifications place cost;
  • Sixth, paragraph (f), the sixth step, multiply the demand for assistive technology by the average AT place cost, being the average of the tier levels approved for individuals for the service group assistive technology. The full method to calculate that average is set out in the definitions;
  • Seventh, paragraph (g), the seventh step, is similar to paragraph (f) and is to multiply the demand for home modification by the average HM place cost, being the average of the tier levels approved for individuals for the home modifications service group. The full method to calculate that average is set out in the definitions;
  • Eight, paragraph (h), add the numbers worked out by at paragraphs (f) and (g) to calculate a weighted average place cost;

• Nine, paragraph (i), divide the number worked out at paragraph (c), the monthly amount of the remaining special appropriation for both the service group assistive technology and the service group home modifications, by the weighted average place cost (for both service groups) worked out at paragraph (h). This gives the number of available places for both service groups;
• Ten, paragraph (j), use the demand for assistive technology worked out in paragraph (d) to derive the proportion of the total number of places worked out in paragraph (i) that are available for allocation for the service group assistive technology.

Subsection (2) provides how to calculate the anticipated tier value referred to in paragraph 15(1)(a). The anticipated tier value is the sum of each of the fifteen rows in the anticipated tier value table below.  The calculation for each row of the table is worked out by multiplying the relevant percentage tier amount in column 2 of the table by the number of individuals in column 3 of the table.

The anticipated tier value is a proxy for committed expenditure for both service groups and is based on the expected spending profiles for the different tier amounts/approvals for each service group. For example, an individual with an approval for classification level AT low tier for the classification type short-term for the service group assistive technology is likely to spend that entitlement of $500 within a few weeks as smaller low-cost items like walking frames or shower chairs are generally readily available through multiple stockists. In contrast, an individual with a classification level HM medium tier for the classification type short-term for the service group home modifications will need to have a report prepared outlining what modifications are required and where they are to be mounted. They will need to get quotations from builders and then wait for the work to be completed.

The determination uses an expected spending pattern instead of actual expenditure as providers may not submit claims immediately which could lead to an overspend. The actual spending pattern will be monitored and the expected spending pattern in the determination amended if needed to reduce the risk of overspend.

The Determination provides an example that if there were 100 individuals who had been allocated a classification level AT Medium and taken up the place within the last 90 days, the calculation for row 3 in the table above would be 0.25 × tier amount for AT Medium × 100.

Section 16 – Method for working out the number of places available for the classification types short-term and ongoing for the service group assistive technology

Section 16 provides that for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(b) of the Act, the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the classification types short-term and ongoing for the service group assistive technology, is the number of places available for the service group as worked out by section 15 of this determination.

Section 17 – Method for working out the number of places available for AT classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group assistive technology

Section 17 provides that for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group assistive technology is:

• for the classification levels AT low, AT medium and AT high for the classification type short-term for the service group assistive technology, the number of places available for the classification type short-term for the service group assistive technology as worked out by section 16, allocated until such point as the amount worked out in paragraph 15(1)(c) multiplied by the demand for assistive technology is fully utilised; and
• zero, for the classification levels AT CHSP and AT transitional for the classification type short-term for the service group assistive technology.

Section 18 – Method for working out the number of places available for service group assistive technology, classification type ongoing, assistance dog classification level   

Section 18 provides for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the classification level assistance dogs for the classification type ongoing for the service group assistive technology, is the number of places available for the classification type ongoing for the service group assistive technology as worked out by section 16 of this determination, allocated until such point as the amount worked out in paragraph 15(1)(c) multiplied by the demand for assistive technology is fully utilised.

Part 4—Home modifications

Section 19 – Method for working out the number of places available for the service group home modifications

Section 19 provides for the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals for the financial year for the service group home modifications. For the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(a) of the Act, the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the service group home modifications is to multiply the number worked out at paragraph 15(1)(i), being the average weighted place cost for the service group assistive technology and home modifications, by the demand for home modifications worked out in paragraph 15(1)(e).

Section 20 – Method for working out the number of places available for service group home modifications, classification types short-term and ongoing  

Section 20 provides that for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(b) of the Act, the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the classification type short-term for the service group home modifications, is the number of places available for the service group as worked out by section 19. 

Section 21 – Method for working out the number of places available for HM classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group home modifications

Section 21 provides for the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group home modifications is:

• for the classification levels HM low, HM medium and HM high for the classification type short-term for the service group home modifications, the number as worked out by section 20, allocated until such point as the amount worked out in paragraph 15(1)(c) multiplied by the demand for home modifications is fully utilised; and
• for the classification levels HM CHSP and HM transitional for the classification type short-term for the service group home modifications, zero.

Part 5—Residential care

Section 22 – Method for working out the number of places available for the service group residential care

Section 22 sets out the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals at a time in the financial year for the service group residential care.

The method as provided for by subsection (1) is outlined below.

Paragraph (a) is the first step in the method and requires approval rates to be calculated for each age-sex group for the ages 65 to 100 for the previous financial year. The approval rate for each age-sex group is calculated by dividing the number of people approved in the aged-sex group according to the approvals data by the number of people in the same age-sex group according to the general population data for the previous financial year. The result is then multiplied by 100 to give the approval rate. The allocation of a ‘place’ to an older person approved for residential care and its use in a residential care home will need to be considered as two different ‘place’ concepts – allocated and in-use. An allocated place will provide an entitlement to enter residential care, whereas the budget will only consider places that are in-use, as this is when subsidies are paid. For residential care places there will be far more ‘allocated places’ than those in-use. 

The determination of the number of places to be created serves to establish a pool of residential care places that can be allocated to individuals upon approval for residential care. The method described provides an estimate of the required number of places; while it uses the 65 years and over population for this estimation, it does not restrict the allocation of places to eligible individuals to any particular age group. In circumstances where the determined number of places proves insufficient, the Minister retains the authority to issue a subsequent determination to increase the number of places created. The example included after paragraph (a) is intended to aid interpretation of the way in which approval rates are to be calculated for each age-sex group. The example provides that if 250 females aged 80 were approved and there are 10,000 females aged 80 in the population, the approval rate is 2.5% (250 divided by 10,000 multiplied by 100) for the age-sex group 80-year-old females

Paragraph (b) is the second step in the method and requires the calculation of the projected number of places for each age-sex group for the ages 65 to 100 for the current financial year. The projected number of places for each age-sex group is calculated by multiplying the percentage approval rate calculated at paragraph (a) by the general population data for the financial year for the same age-sex group.

The example included after paragraph (b) is intended to aid interpretation of the way in which the projected number of places are to be calculated for each age-sex group. The example provides that if the approval rate is 2.5% for the age-sex group 80-year-old females and there are 12,000 females aged 80 in the population this financial year, the projected number of places for the age-sex group 80-year-old females is 300 (2.5% multiplied by 12,000).

Paragraph (c) is the third step in the method and requires that the projected number of places for each age-sex group as calculated at paragraph are summed together.

Paragraph (d) is the final step in the method and requires that the number of places that have been allocated for the current financial year are subtracted from the result in paragraph (c). Subsection (2) provides that for the purposes of the first step in paragraph (a) all men aged 100 or over will form part of the age-sex group for 100-year-old men and all women aged 100 or over will form part of the age-sex group for 100-year-old women.

Section 23 – Method for working out the number of places available for the classification types short-term and ongoing for the service group residential care

For the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(b) of the Act, section 23 prescribes the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated to individuals for the financial year for the classification types ongoing and short-term for the service group residential care.

The number of places available for allocation for each classification type is equal to the number of places available to be allocated for the service group residential care worked out by section 22 allocated until such point as the special appropriation for the service group residential care is fully utilised.

This reflects that all places for the service group residential care are available to be allocated to either classification type short term or ongoing, until the special appropriation for the service group residential care has been exhausted.

Section 24 – Method for working out the number of places available for all classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group residential care

For the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, section 24 prescribes the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated for all classification levels for the classification type short-term for the service group residential care.

Paragraph (a) provides that for classification levels respite classes 0, 1, 2, and 3, the number of places available is the number of places available for the classification type short-term for the service group residential care as worked out by section 23, allocated until such point as the special appropriation for the service group residential care is fully utilised.

This reflects that all places for the service group residential care are available to be allocated to each classification level in the classification type short-term for the service group residential care, until the special appropriation for the service group residential care has been exhausted.

Paragraph (a) provides that for classification levels RCST MPSP and RCST NATSIFACP the number of places available is zero. These classification levels only related to certain transitional groups, and cannot be used for any future approvals. Additionally, service delivery to individuals under MPSP and NATSIFACP are managed through ‘places to providers’ and a separate Determination is required under section 94 of the Act.

Section 25 – Method for working out the number of places available for all classification levels for the classification type ongoing for the service group residential care

For the purposes of paragraph 91(1)(c) of the Act, section 25 prescribes the method for working out the number of places available to be allocated for all classification levels for the classification type ongoing for the service group residential care.

Paragraph (a) provides that for classification levels classes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, the number of places for each classification type is up to the number of places available for the classification type for the service group residential care as worked out by section 23, allocated until such point as the special appropriation for residential care is fully utilised.

This reflects that all places for the service group residential care are available to be allocated to each classification level in the classification type short-term for the service group residential care.

Paragraph (b) provides that for the classification levels RCO MPSP and RCO NATSIFACP, the number of places available is zero. These classification levels are for transitional measures and service delivery to individuals requires a separate determination under section 94 of the Act.

Part 6—Miscellaneous

Section 26 – Calculations to be rounded down

Section 26 provides that where a method of calculating the number of places available for allocation for a service group, classification type or classification level produces a number that is not a whole number, it must be rounded down to the nearest whole number.

Sam Rae

Minister for Aged Care and Seniors