The Newsroom

Mirus Australia's new Accommodation Pricing Report reveals a new record high average for Refundable Accommodation Deposits.

Australia’s residential aged care sector has reached two significant milestones, with national occupancy climbing to its highest level in nine years and average advertised room prices surpassing $600,000 for the first time.

Occupancy has reached its highest levels since May 2017, while average room prices exceed $600,000, Mirus Australia’s monthly data snapshot shows.

Providers continue to better align care delivery with the mandated care minute targets, as delivered care minutes drop for the fifth month in a row, Mirus Australia data shows.

Meanwhile, the number of homes raising their room prices has continued to rise but the industry average price has declined, industry analysis shows.

The industry average price for aged care rooms has declined for the first time since the maximum allowable price was raised to $750,000 in January 2025, according to the latest Mirus Industry Analysis released on 16 April 2026.

Capecare and FPACA have decided to hold off introducing HELF at all homes, and for providers that do bring it in, it must match room pricing, webinar viewers hear.

The department is seeking feedback from residents and advocates on the Higher Everyday Living Fee in a new survey while one for providers and aged care workers closes next week.

A year on from announcing the early-stage integration of its new platform, MirusPlus, Mirus Australia has announced its launch, with expanded capabilities.

A new industry poll has revealed widespread uncertainty and operational challenges among aged care providers as the sector prepares for the introduction of the Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) framework.

Occupancy has also increased after two months of decline, while the days from request to reassessment have fallen industry-wide by close to 20 per cent.

In a surprising turn for the Australian aged care sector, February has witnessed an unanticipated spike in room price activity, bucking typical quarterly trends and signalling potential shifts in market dynamics.

But the number of providers increasing their highest and lowest room prices has started to rise again, after a December drop.

About 56% of aged care homes have Refundable Accommodation Deposits (RADs) above $550,00, according to the latest data from aged care consultants Mirus.

The latest data from Mirus Australia reveals a slight easing in delivered care minutes in December 2025, alongside a notable year-on-year rise in advertised room prices across the aged care sector.

The end of 2025 also saw a slight decrease in occupancy, which Mirus Australia attributes to declines in respite use.

As a result of the increase in admissions, occupancy rose two percentage points in October to 92.3%.

This month sees a 68 per cent fall in the number of providers making changes to their advertised room prices, which data scientist Tyler Fisher tells AAA is likely because homes inclined to take action on prices have already done so.