By Megan Sahli
Australia’s home care industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the national economy, driven by an ageing population and its collective desire to age in place.
According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data on disability, ageing, and carers, older Australians (aged 65 and over) now comprise 17.1% of the national population. While the vast majority (95.9%) live independently at home, nearly 40% of this group require assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs).
The demand for in-home care in Tasmania is even higher than the national average. This is driven by the state having the oldest population per capita among Australian states and territories. Tasmania boasts a median age of 42.2 years (projected to increase to between 46.3 and 52.2 years by 2071), nearly four years higher than the national median age of 38.3 years (projected to increase to between 43.8 and 47.6 years by 2071). This acceleration will see the proportion of Tasmanians aged 65 and over increase to 33% by 2071.
Combine the state’s older population with its lower median income, regionally dispersed population, and higher rates of disability, existing in-home care providers are unable to meet demand. The Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS) notes that maintaining a sustainable community services workforce remains one of the state's most volatile economic challenges.
The transition to the newly legislated Support at Home program has intensified existing pressures on Tasmania’s home care sector. The program's individual service pricing and tiered co-contributions have introduced new financial barriers for clients and their families. Because providers face increased administrative compliance, hourly service rates have risen to cover these built-in operational costs. Due to service delivery shortages driven by Tasmania's sparse regional population, providers are forced to charge higher individual hourly rates to absorb travel and administrative overheads.
Independent and approved home care providers can help bridge gaps that the public health and not-for-profit sectors cannot. By operating on a private or hybrid commercial model, independent providers offer speed, flexibility, and service depth that public systems struggle to match.
Enter Right at Home Australia.
Experienced providers like Right at Home understand the complexities of delivering aged care and disability support services to local communities that are demographically and socioeconomically diverse.
Since the in-home care and assistance company started franchising in 2016, Right at Home has more than 60 offices across all states and territories, save one, Tasmania.
With national headquarters in Brisbane, Right at Home’s strongest markets have been in the Queensland, closely followed by the Sydney metropolitan area and its surrounds. Because Right at Home has sold all territories in the Northern Territory and ACT and maintains steady growth in WA, Victoria, and regional NSW, the company has doubled its focus on the country’s island paradise.
Networks like Right at Home are particularly well placed to meet Tasmania’s growing care needs because they combine the scale and systems of a national provider with the responsiveness of locally owned and operated businesses. Breadth and depth of care services matter in Tasmania, where older, regionally dispersed communities often need flexible, coordinated support rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
As an approved provider already operating under the new Support at Home standards, Right at Home brings an established compliance framework, care management capability, and service model that can adapt to regulatory change while still focusing on what matters most; clients and their families.
Right at Home was one of the first companies to enter in-home care and is now an industry leader. With nearly 800 global locations across five countries and over US$ 996 million in annual sales, Right at Home is one of the world's largest home care franchise networks.
If you are passionate about supporting the most vulnerable members of your community, our caregiving management franchise system is an incredible opportunity to own your own business. Right at Home’s quality systems and processes provide a framework to launch your business in the home care industry.
