We’re building a new aged care system 

Australia’s aged care laws are changing to put the rights and needs of older people first. 

The new rights-based Aged Care Bill was introduced to Parliament on 12 September 2024. These new laws will make positive, lasting changes to the aged care system and deliver safety, dignity and respect for older people.

Many of these changes are in response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

The new Aged Care Act

Subject to parliamentary process, the new Act will start from 1 July 2025. 

We have consulted on the Act in stages and invited people to provide feedback. Anyone interested in Australia’s aged care system has been able to contribute. This has included aged care providers and workers, researchers, experts, and most importantly those with the lived experience of accessing aged care services.

Fundamental changes ahead for aged care

The new Act will fundamentally change how older people access aged care services in their homes, community settings and aged care homes.

This will impact everyone connected to the aged care system. 

It will delivery changes and safeguards including:

  • a rights-based approach to high-quality, safe, and compassionate care and services
  • a single, culturally safe and equitable entry point into aged care
  • enabling older people to choose someone to help them make decisions
  • new program to support older people in their homes
  • strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards 
  • new worker screening to ensure carers are suitable to work in aged care 
  • a new regulatory framework 
  • stronger powers for the regulator, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
  • allocating permanent residential care places to older people directly.

The new Act will include a Statement of Rights outlining what you should expect when accessing Government-funded aged care services. This will replace the current Charter of Aged Care Rights. 

The new Act will also include a Statement of Principles. This will guide how workers and organisations behave and make decisions.

What’s in the new Act?

We are introducing a new aged care regulatory model to support changes from the new Act. 

The new regulatory model focuses on your rights as an older person using aged care services. It outlines how aged care providers must operate under the new Act. 

The new model will promote care that is: 

  • person-centred and based on rights 
  • meeting your needs 
  • safe and high quality
  • monitored by the regulator in a way that is appropriate to the risks involved 
  • transparent, responsive to feedback and addresses concerns effectively and respectfully 
  • innovative and always improving to meet your needs and expectations.

Stronger quality standards

We’ve strengthened the Quality Standards in response to the findings of the Royal Commission. 

Under the new Act, the strengthened standards will better support the quality of care you should expect to receive. This includes: 

  • placing older people at the centre of aged care
  • supporting people living with dementia
  • being more inclusive of people from diverse backgrounds 
  • stronger requirements for clinical care, and food and nutrition
  • more protections for you.

Assigning residential aged care places 

Under the new Act, older people will have more control to select an aged care home of their choice. 

The changes mean that people will have more ability to:

  • Choose a home that best meets their needs
  • Choose a home in a location of their choice
  • Change home if they are unhappy 

Aged care homes will also start operating in a more competitive market. This means they will need to respond to community expectations to attract people.

A new approach to in-home care 

The new Support at Home Program will help older people live independently at home for longer. 

The program will deliver improved access to services, products, equipment and home modifications. This will help older people to remain healthy, active and socially connected to their community. 

Older people with more complex needs will also have access to higher levels of care in the home, enabling them to stay home for longer. 

Older people will make a fair contribution that helps to fund delivery of high-quality care. 

It will replace the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme from 1 July 2025. 

We will work with HCP and STRC providers to ensure they are well prepared to transition to Support at Home on 1 July 2025. 

The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will transition to the new program no earlier than 1 July 2027.  This staged transition will ensure providers have time to change their business systems.

Current in-home aged care programs will continue operating as normal until they transition to Support at Home. 

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Have your say on aged care reform

Thousands of people have been involved in shaping the reforms so far – through surveys, webinars, online workshops, consultation papers and in person events.

We invite everyone to have their say

Visit the Aged Care Engagement Hub to learn how to get involved, including:

  • Registering for information on consultation opportunities and outcomes
  • Signing up to receive our monthly EngAged newsletter
  • Meeting with us in person at an upcoming event around Australia.

What we’ve delivered so far

We have already made many positive changes to aged care. Learn about the reforms and reviews we have delivered. You can also see our changes to aged care in Australia booklet.

More information

For more information on the new rights-based Aged Care Bill and ways to get involved in reforms, read about the new Aged Care Act or visit the Aged Care Engagement Hub.

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News about aged care reforms

Browse our news articles that talk about new aged care home design standards, the Support at Home Program, and other updates on aged care reforms that are in the pipeline.