NATSIAACC has made a submission in response to the government consultation on the Residential Aged Care Accommodation Pricing Review.

As the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ageing and aged care, our submission calls for accommodation pricing reform to actively address structural inequity and embed cultural safety, place-based design and community control within residential aged care funding models.

While this Review focuses on accommodation pricing, these decisions directly impact the quality, availability and cultural appropriateness of residential care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and Older People — particularly those living on low incomes and in regional, rural and remote communities. NATSIAACC’s input is critical to ensuring that reform does not further entrench disadvantage but instead delivers equitable access to safe, culturally grounded accommodation.

We emphasise that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and Older People, accommodation is not simply a physical space — it is a place of belonging, identity, cultural continuity and connection to Country and/or Island Home. True equity in pricing must recognise the higher costs of delivering culturally safe care in remote and community-controlled contexts.

Our key recommendations include:

• Introducing a Cultural Safety and Remoteness Adjustment within the Accommodation Supplement framework to reflect the true cost of delivering culturally safe accommodation.

• Embedding cultural safety as a measurable requirement within accommodation pricing and quality standards.

• Strengthening Indigenous Data Sovereignty through culturally governed data collection and reporting.

• Prioritising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled and place-based accommodation models.

• Quarantining funding to support sustainable community-controlled facilities.

• Ensuring co-design and implementation through genuine partnership with NATSIAACC and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies.

This submission forms part of NATSIAACC’s ongoing advocacy to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and Older People are not left behind in aged care reform and can access accommodation that reflects their cultural rights, safety, dignity and connection to community.

Click here to download a copy of NATSIAACC’s Submission.