Geography of Care - HomeCaring

The geography of care

Across Australia, access to care services varies widely from one area to the next. The following interactive map visualises the number of home care, aged care, and NDIS providers in each local government area (LGA), relative to the local population. It highlights both “care deserts” — areas with low provider coverage — and regions where care is concentrated. Explore the map to see provider density by LGA and dive into key statistics.

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What the Data Tells Us
State-by-State Breakdown
Australia’s Most Underserved Regions
Growing LGAs That Need Future Planning

What the Data Tells Us

Australia’s care landscape is far from even. While many metropolitan regions benefit from high concentrations of aged care and NDIS providers, others – particularly on the urban fringe and in regional areas are struggling to keep up with population demand.

Our analysis reveals several LGAs with high populations but critically low provider density. These areas, which we’ve identified as care deserts, are at increased risk of service bottlenecks, delayed access, and unmet care needs- especially as populations grow and age. Some outer-suburban LGAs have fewer than 1 aged care provider per 10,000 residents, well below the national average. In contrast, inner metro areas often have densities four to five times higher.

The disparities highlight a growing divide: care access is increasingly determined not by need, but by postcode.
State-by-State Breakdown

When comparing care access across states, stark differences emerge:

NSW and VIC feature strong provider coverage in metro areas but show severe drop-offs in outer suburbs like Blacktown, Wyndham, and Melton.

WA and NT stand out for their low provider densities, particularly in fast-growing regions such as Wanneroo, Palmerston, and Kwinana.

QLD shows more balanced distribution overall, though areas like Isaac and Logan remain well below national density benchmarks.

Notably, NT LGAs like Palmerston report fewer than 0.25 aged care providers per 10,000 people – one-tenth the national average. Meanwhile, Unincorporated ACT, despite its large population, shows the lowest NDIS provider density of any LGA over 20,000 residents.

This variation underscores the importance of tailoring policy and funding to localised demand, rather than relying on state-level averages.
Australia’s Most Underserved Regions

Our heatmap highlights the five LGAs with over 20,000 residents, and the lowest provider density per capita in both NDIS and aged care services. These are the areas most at risk of care shortages:

NDIS Deserts
1. Unincorporated ACT – 131.7 providers per 10k
2. Isaac (QLD) – 159.4 per 10k
3. Kalgoorlie-Boulder (WA) – 164.7 per 10k
4. Northern Beaches (NSW) – 169.4 per 10k
5. Blacktown (NSW) – 172.1 per 10k
Aged Care Deserts (combined Home + Residential)
1. Kwinana (WA) – 0.19 providers per 10k
2. Palmerston (NT) – 0.24 per 10k
3. Serpentine-Jarrahdale (WA) – 0.27 per 10k
4. Melton (VIC) – 0.29 per 10k
5. Golden Plains (VIC) – 0.39 per 10k
These regions may be ideal candidates for provider expansion, policy intervention, or prioritised community infrastructure investment.
Growing LGAs That Need Future Planning

While current care deserts are a pressing concern, future access risks are just as important. Several large-population LGAs already have below-average provider density, and their populations are projected to grow significantly in the coming decade.

Notable examples include:
- Wyndham (VIC) – With over 320,000 residents and just 0.49 aged care providers per 10,000 people, Wyndham is already underserved and growing fast.
- Melton (VIC) – Similar story: 206,000+ residents, only 0.29 aged care providers per 10k. ABS projections show Melton as one of Australia’s fastest-growing corridors.
- Blacktown (NSW) – Over 426,000 people but among the lowest NDIS provider densities in the country.
- Casey (VIC) – Nearing 400,000 residents, yet provider coverage is among the lowest in the state for aged care.
- Wanneroo (WA) – 229,000+ residents and just 0.09 Home Care providers per 10k – the lowest rate in the country.
Without proactive planning, these LGAs could either begin to, or continue to exacerbate the prevalence of care deserts. Infrastructure development, provider incentives, and long-term government planning will be essential to keeping care access aligned with demographic growth.

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Provider Density
(providers per 10,000 people)

The data in this map is collated from third party data sources, and was not collected directly by HomeCaring. Provider count for each Local Government Area (LGA) was retrieved via a Freedom of Information request from The Department of Social Services. Population data was retrieved via the Australian Bureau of Statistics census data.

The geography of care

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