NATSIAACC has provided a submission to the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) outlining the need for a pricing framework that accurately reflects the true cost of delivering culturally safe, trauma-aware and healing-informed care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and Older People.

The submission highlights that current pricing approaches are constrained by incomplete and unrepresentative data, and risk systematically underestimating the cost of care delivered through community-controlled models. It calls for a fundamental shift in pricing methodology to recognise relational and community-based care functions, address structural cost pressures in rural and remote contexts, and implement Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific pricing adjustments.

NATSIAACC reinforces that pricing is not neutral, it determines which models of care are viable. Without structural reform, the Support at Home program risks embedding inequity and limiting access to culturally safe care. This submission positions NATSIAACC as a system steward advocating for pricing reform that supports sustainable, community-controlled service delivery and delivers equitable outcomes for Elders and Older People.

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