MEDIA RELEASE – 5 February 2026
Meals on Wheels™Australia (MoWA) has called on the Federal Government to commit in the 2026–27 Budget to retaining and significantly expanding the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) as a standalone program, warning that abolishing CHSP and rolling it into the new Support at Home (SaH) program risks foreseeable and avoidable harm to older Australians. In a submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the transition from CHSP to SaH, Meals on Wheels™ Australia argues that CHSP is not a “legacy program to be closed”, but the essential front door of the aged care system, providing rapid access to low-risk, high-value supports such as meals, social connection and welfare checks.
MoWA Chair, Paul Sadler said CHSP plays a critical early-intervention role that will only grow in importance as Australia’s population ages.
“CHSP is what keeps people well, nourished and safe while the rest of the system catches up,” Mr Sadler said. “If access to meals is slowed down by more complex assessments, onboarding and administrative requirements, we will see longer waiting times, poorer nutrition outcomes and increased pressure on hospitals.”
The submission warns that requiring the Single Assessment Service and SaH onboarding for low-risk supports like meals would be disproportionate and increase delays, particularly for older people who are frail, socially isolated or at risk of malnutrition.
Chief Executive Officer of Meals on Wheels NSW, Claudia Odello said the proposed changes would hit hardest in regional, rural and thin-market communities, where Meals on Wheels is often the only viable provider.
“In many communities, if Meals on Wheels can’t deliver, there is no back-up option,” Ms Odello said. “Small, community-based services rely on predictable funding and simple access pathways to keep kitchens running, volunteers engaged and meals being delivered. Increased red tape, payment delays and funding volatility could push essential services out of local communities altogether.”
A recent national survey of Meals on Wheels services found widespread concern about readiness for the transition, with fewer than 12 per cent of providers feeling fully prepared. The most frequently cited risks included funding uncertainty, disproportionate reporting requirements, assessment changes, workforce strain and IT readiness.
Ms Odello said uncertainty about the future of CHSP was already destabilising the workforce and undermining long-term planning.
“Providers are being asked to do more with less, while supporting customers with increasingly complex needs,” she said. “Without certainty about CHSP beyond 2027, services are delaying investment decisions and struggling to plan for the demand we know is coming.” Meals on Wheels™ Australia’s core recommendation is for the Government to commit now to retaining and expanding CHSP as a program that complements SaH, supported by growth funding, a contemporary funding model review and specific protections for thin markets.
“Meals are time-critical,” Mr Sadler said. “Delays increase the risk of malnutrition, hospital admissions and carer burnout. CHSP works because it is fast, simple and community-embedded—and those features must be preserved.”
The submission also calls for streamlined referral pathways for low-risk supports such as meals, proportionate compliance and reporting requirements, enforceable payment timeframes, and funded readiness support for community providers.
“With Budget decisions imminent, the Government has a real opportunity to provide certainty,” Mr Sadler said. “Retaining and strengthening CHSP is one of the most practical, cost-effective steps it can take to support older Australians to live well at home.”
Media contact: Paul Sadler – 0418 208 232 media@mealsonwheels.org.au