The Australian Government has introduced the Aged Care Bill to parliament. Subject to parliamentary processes, the new Aged Care Act is expected to take effect on 1 July 2025.

New strengthened aged care Quality Standards will be introduced with the new Aged Care Act.

To help prepare for the strengthened Quality Standards, last year we released a suite of draft guidance resources to support providers, workers and older people and help them understand the changes to the Standards. Following consultation earlier this year we are now updating the guidance, which will be made available later this year.

In the meantime, you can still access the draft resources on our website, including through the new Quality Standards Guidance tool.

Note that these resources will remain as ‘draft’ until the Aged Care Bill is finalised through parliamentary processes. We will communicate when these resources can be considered ‘final’.

Supporting the transition to the new Aged Care Act

Coming soon! To support sector readiness for the new Aged Care Act, we are creating a dedicated section on our website to help aged care providers, workers and older people understand the upcoming changes. This section will house key information, tools and resources to make sure everyone is prepared.

Regulatory strategy: building trust and confidence in the aged care sector

The Commission’s 2024-25 Regulatory Strategy is central to how we regulate the aged care sector, ensuring the safety and quality of care as we transition to the new Act. It outlines how we are changing our regulatory practice, policies and operations to ensure that we are ready to deliver on the intent of the new Aged Care Act and the ‘once in a generation’ change it will drive in how aged care is provided in Australia.

Safeguarding and protecting older people is at the centre of everything we do. The Regulatory Strategy provides information on how we regulate the sector, including how:

• we meet our regulatory responsibilities under the current legislation
• our policies and strategies work to identify and respond to risk and enhance older people’s experience of aged care
• we inform and engage with our stakeholders
• we regulate providers and aged care workers to ensure that they provide safe and high-quality care to older people.

By following this Strategy, we are committed to support all our stakeholders, building trust and confidence throughout the transition to the new Act, with the rights and wellbeing of older people at the centre of all we do.

Planning for the move to provider registration categories under the new Act

A significant element of the proposed Aged Care Act is the introduction of a new Provider Registration system. The Department of Health and Aged Care (the department) is preparing government-funded aged care providers for the new registration system expected to be introduced in the new Aged Care Act.

When the new Act is implemented, the department will automatically set up existing providers as registered providers in the new registration categories. Each provider’s category or categories will be based on the services they provide. It is expected that there will be 6 registration categories.

To make sure that providers are registered in the right categories, the department will contact them to review and confirm their details. Providers should expect to hear from the department from September 2024 onwards. Enquiries on provider registration can be sent to AgedCareRegModel@health.gov.au.

You can find more information on the department's website including how the department is preparing providers for the new regulatory model.