The New Aged Care Act

With the commencement of the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) on 1 November 2025, the long anticipated reforms to the aged care regulatory landscape are now enacted into law. Our series of articles provides an overview of these legislative changes, highlighting those areas most likely to impact on registered providers of Australian Government funded aged care.

The new Act responds to many of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, enshrining principles of a consumer centred, rights-based Act in its objects and principles, and a Statement of Rights. It introduces a new model for funding aged care services, in response to the Final Report of the Aged Care Taskforce.

We’re ready to assist you to prepare for the changes. Some of the areas where we can assist providers working towards readiness on 1 November 2025 and beyond include:

• conducting ‘health checks’ on relevant policies, incident management and complaint managements systems;
• updating template agreements for the provision of all types of Australian Government funded aged care including home care, CHSP and residential care (including short-term care);
• updating services and management agreements for providers who are subcontracting (or brokering) the provision of aged care or the management of aged care services;
• briefings and strategy sessions for senior leadership teams; and
• briefing boards and governing bodies of registered providers including updating board orientation packs and key documents such as Board and Committee Charters and Deeds of Access, Indemnity and Insurance.

Please get in touch if you’d like to hear about how we can assist you with progressively staging these and other preparatory steps over the coming months to ensure you are prepared.

This page will host all updates we’ll be publishing in the coming months. For advance notice of our future publications, please get in touch.

• Commencement of the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) deferred until 1 November 2025

  By

  • Angela Wood
  ,
  • Lucille Scomazzon
  &
  • Rachel Herkes

  The deferred commencement date responds to widespread concerns within the aged care sector.

• New Aged Care Act - A Turning Point for the Sector

  By

  • Lucille Scomazzon
  &
  • Rachel Herkes

  The Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) (new Act) will commence on 1 November 2025. In this article we outline those changes across the new Act’s eight chapters which are of most relevance to providers of Australian government funded aged care.

• Statutory duties under the Aged Care Act: What Providers and Responsible Persons need to know

  By

  • Lucille Scomazzon
  ,
  • Angela Wood
  &
  • Alexandra Adams

  The inclusion of a general statutory duty for providers to ensure high quality, safe care was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.  

• What will the changes to the Aged Care Act mean for the sale and purchase of residential aged care homes?

  By

  • Angela Wood

  The aged care reforms will change how these processes work, this article outlines what will change.

• Accommodation Agreements under the Aged Care Act: What will change?

  By

  • Lucille Scomazzon
  &
  • Angela Wood

  The new Act is requiring providers of residential aged care to change or update template accommodation agreements in time for use from 1 November 2025.