Abstract:Nursing home care in Australia is provided by both for‐profit and not‐for‐profit nursing homes. Operating expenditure in nursing homes is funded by the Commonwealth Government. The reimbursement system currently in operation is linked to ownership structure. This paper examines differences in operating behaviour as a result of a reimbursement system based on ownership structure. The results of this study indicate that differences in behaviour occur as a result of ownership differences, ineffective controls and the lack of incentives in the reimbursement system to operate efficiently. These differences have important implications for policy change affecting the funding of nursing home