When choosing an aged care provider, it’s important to make sure that they deliver safe, high-quality care. The Australian Government, through the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Commission) and Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing as the System Governor (System Governor), have checks in place to make sure providers are complying with regulations and standards.
This page covers what you need to know about how compliance is measured and rated, and what it means for you.
On this page
What is compliance?
Every registered aged care provider needs to understand and comply with the aged care obligations set out in the Aged Care legislation to protect and enhance the safety, health, and wellbeing of older people receiving care.
Compliance is monitored by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Commission) and the Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing as the System Governor (System Governor). The Commission and System Governor check that providers and aged care homes are providing safe, effective, and high-quality care to older people.
If a provider is not complying with their aged care obligations, the Commission and/or System Governor may take regulatory action, for example giving a provider a formal regulatory notice. This means that the provider needs to take action to fix the non-compliance and improve how they deliver care to older people so that it is safe, high-quality care.
The Aged Care Quality Standards
The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (Quality Standards) apply to all government-funded aged care homes and define what quality care looks like.
Under the new Aged Care Act (the new Act), aged care providers will need to meet the Quality Standards applicable to the service types they are registered for. They are designed to improve your care outcomes and set clear expectations for providers in delivering quality aged care.
The Compliance rating
Star Ratings provide information about the quality of care an aged care home delivers and how they compare to others. Compliance is one of the 4 key areas of performance that make up the Overall Star Rating.
The Compliance rating reflects an aged care home’s current compliance performance. It is updated when regulatory decisions are made and when the non-compliance is fixed by the provider. Different regulatory decisions can be made depending on the nature of the issues and how serious they are. Where there is more than one current regulatory decision in place, the Compliance rating will reflect the most serious decision and action that has been taken.
The table below displays the different rating levels and the percentage of aged care homes nationwide that have received each rating.
| Compliance rating | What percentage of homes in Australia currently have this rating? * | |
 | Excellent | 68% |
 | Good | 30% |
 | Acceptable | 1% |
 | Improvement needed | 0% |
 | Significant improvement needed | 0% |
| Compliance rating | ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| Excellent | ||
| Good | ||
| Acceptable | ||
| Improvement needed | ||
| Significant improvement needed | ||
| What percentage of homes in Australia currently have this rating? * | ||
| 68% | ||
| 30% | ||
| 1% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% |
* Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.
The new Compliance rating
From 1 November 2025, the Compliance rating for an aged care home will be calculated based on:
- a graded assessment findings against the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, and
- the type of regulatory decisions in place for the provider.
Regulatory decisions
Regulatory decisions will also impact the Compliance rating based on the type and severity of the regulatory decisions. The Compliance rating of an aged care home will be capped when a regulatory decision has been made, or regulatory notice has been issued.
Regulatory decisions will impact the Compliance rating of a specific aged care home or homes, or all residential aged care homes owned by a provider, based on evidence of whether non-compliance is related to specific aged care home/s.
How the rating is calculated
The Compliance rating is calculated by identifying the lowest rating the aged care home qualifies for across both regulatory decision and graded assessment.
Note that if an aged care home receives a Compliance rating of 1 or 2 stars, the Overall Star Rating will be capped at that number of stars.
The Compliance rating is updated whenever regulatory decisions are made or changed, and fortnightly in response to changes to graded assessment findings against the Aged Care Quality Standards.
How can I check if a home has regulatory decisions?
You can find any current or historic regulatory decisions for aged care homes in the Find a provider tool. You can search by provider name or location to find the aged care home you are interested in, then go to the Compliance section of their profile.
Regulatory decisions issued prior to 1 November 2025
The specific formal regulatory decisions that affect the Star Ratings are listed below in order of increasing seriousness.
What happens if a regulatory decision is made against my aged care provider?
You can read the details of the decision on the My Aged Care website by viewing the Compliance section of your aged care home’s profile in Find a provider.
Your provider should also arrange a meeting with you and your family members or registered supporter. They should explain the issues and how they will address them by a certain date.
When the Commission or System Governor has found that the issues relating to the non-compliance have been fixed, the provider’s Compliance rating will be updated on the My Aged Care website.
What if I can’t see a rating?
In some cases, there may not be a Star Rating for a provider. There are many reasons why a provider may display a ‘No rating’ label. Learn more about why a rating may not be displayed.
Where can I find more information?
To learn more about the Commission’s role in ensuring high quality care and protecting the rights and interests of people receiving care, visit the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s website.