Aged Care Quality Bulletin #1-2026

Commissioner’s message

Happy 2026 everyone and welcome to what’s set to be a very busy year as together we continue to embed the changes under the new Aged Care Act 2024 (Aged Care Act). I hope you had a chance to enjoy some quality time with family and friends.

Our first sector webinar for the year will focus on Rights-based complaints handling under the new Aged Care Act. Registrations are now open via our website and I hope you will join us for this event. Aged Care Complaints Commissioner Treasure Jennings will explain how we’re delivering a complaints service that upholds the rights of older people, and our panel includes representatives from the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) and the Council of the Ageing (COTA).

An open letter to older people, families and supporters from myself and Treasure is now available in 22 languages. I encourage all providers to share this document with the people in your care, their families and supporters. It explains how the new Aged Care Act upholds the rights of older people in aged care, and the support available to raise a concern, provide feedback or make a complaint.

The Aged Care Rules 2025 include new protections for older people about pricing under the Support at Home program which commenced on 1 November. These protections are aimed at making sure prices are reasonable and transparently reported, to support older people to make informed decisions about the care they receive.

Last month, in a joint letter with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing providers were reminded of their service information and pricing requirements under the legislation.

Our Regulatory Bulletin on Support at Home pricing requirements details what providers must do to meet the new pricing requirements and the actions we can take when these requirements aren’t met.

We’re committed to helping providers understand their obligations. You can find support in our Aged Care Act resources overview and more information in the article below.

We’ve released a new Provider registration and change in circumstances checklist to help you understand the steps to follow when you complete an application to:

become a registered provider
renew or vary (change) your current registration
notify us of changes in circumstances.

A reminder that the First Nations aged care resource hub is available to support providers to deliver culturally safe and appropriate care. The hub includes practical tools and resources for providers, workers and older people.

Preparations are underway for hosting our National Aged Care Provider Conference. This year it will take place on 13–14 October in Brisbane. So, save the date and please keep an eye out for more information next month, at which time registration requests are scheduled to open.

Lastly, we’d love to see you at our February online live learning. You can register today for the next workshop, on the strengthened Quality Standards: preparing for the changes in residential and home services.

Liz Hefren-Webb
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner

Save the date – NACPC 2026

The National Aged Care Provider Conference (NACPC) will be held on Tuesday 13 – Wednesday 14 October this year at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Hosted by the Commission, the conference will bring together provider representatives as we approach the one-year mark of the new Aged Care Act.

You’ll hear from:

the Commissioner, Liz Hefren-Webb
the independent Aged Care Complaints Commissioner, Treasure Jennings
representatives from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
along with older people, advocates, and providers from across the sector.

Registrations are scheduled to open next month. In-person registrations will again be capped with a limit of 2 delegates per provider, so it’s worth deciding early who you will nominate. We anticipate that virtual attendance will be available subject to demand.

Keep an eye on our website for more information including registration information. We will be emailing all providers directly once registration is opened.

Aged care reform update

Act now on Support at Home pricing requirements

The Support at Home program commenced on 1 November 2025.

Under the Support at Home program, providers can set prices for their services. The Aged Care Rules 2025 include new protections for older people about pricing. These protections make sure prices are reasonable and are transparently reported.

Older people have the right to clear information so they can make informed decisions about their care.

Updating your prices on My Aged Care

The deadline to update your Support at Home prices on My Aged Care has passed. If you haven’t verified your services or updated your pricing information, you must act now. It’s a requirement of the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules.

To meet your obligations, you must use the My Aged Care Service and Support Portal to:

check all active service items for each outlet
verify your services, if you don’t offer a service, mark it as ‘Offline’
ensure pricing is current and includes standard business-hours rates
check your service delivery area is accurate
confirm outlet names and descriptions.

Learn more and update your information.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (department) is monitoring providers’ progress and working with the Commission to ensure compliance. 

If your organisation can’t meet these obligations by 30 January, please email SaHServiceAndPricingUpdates@health.gov.au to explain why and provide a date for when you will meet them.

Regulatory Bulletin explaining pricing requirements

Our latest Regulatory Bulletin explains what providers need to do to meet the new pricing requirements and what actions the Commission can take if they don’t.

The Regulatory Bulletin covers:

pricing requirements including what is an unreasonable price
what pricing information providers need to report
the Commission’s regulatory approach to non-compliance with pricing requirements.

Under the Support at Home program there are some changes to which home care services the Australian Government funds. The Support at Home service list shows the different services older people can use Support at Home funding for. You can read more in our article below.

Providers can also find more information about the Support at Home program on the department’s website, including:

Provider registration and change in circumstances checklist

Are you planning to become a registered provider? Do you want to renew or vary (change) your registration or notify us of a change in circumstances?

We’ve released a new Provider registration and change in circumstances checklist to help you understand the steps when you complete an application to:

become a registered provider
renew or vary your current registration
notify us of changes in circumstances.

The checklist also brings together important resources in one place. These include supporting guidance and key system and formatting requirements for when you submit forms.

Use the checklist before you submit your forms. This helps reduce follow-up requests and gives you a more timely outcome.

Aged Care Act resources available

It’s been just over 2 months since we moved to the new Aged Care Act, and we’re committed to helping you:

understand your obligations
provide quality aged care services.

We’ve summarised the suite of guidance and resources available in our Aged Care Act resources overview. It lists the resources available to help you and your workforce provide high quality aged care services. It includes:

guidance materials
tools
learning resources.

We’ve divided our resources by topic. They cover everything from audits to financial and prudential standards, the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, and more.

You can find a full list of our resources by topic on the Aged Care Act 2024 resources overview page on our website.

New aged care guidance resources

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has published 2 new guidance documents.

The guidance for residential aged care providers outlines the regulatory changes affecting residential aged care providers under the Aged Care Act.

The updated guidance for allied health professionals outlines options for delivery of allied health services to older people under the new Act.

The new aged care regulatory model supports continuous improvement and better quality and safety in aged care.

New resources for associated providers

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has published new resources for associated providers under the Aged Care Act.

A webinar about associated providers was held on 10 December 2025. The webinar recording and presentation slides are now available.

The associated provider web page provides information to help you understand how the aged care regulatory model shapes your responsibilities, including:

what types of organisations are considered associated providers
registered provider responsibilities
example profiles.

Toolkit: Complaints, feedback and whistleblower protections

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (department) has developed a new complaints, feedback and whistleblower communication toolkit.

The new toolkit helps providers communicate with older people, their families and carers, and aged care workers about their rights when making a complaint or whistleblower disclosure.

The toolkit includes:

key messages and a discussion guide to support conversations with older people, their families and carers, and aged care workers
editorial content for your website and newsletters
social media posts
videos.

You can find more communication resources on the new Aged Care Act on the department’s website.

New guide explains the role of independent aged care advocates

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) has a new guide that helps providers understand the role of independent aged care advocates.

The guide explains the difference between independent aged care advocates, aged care service providers and other supporters under the Aged Care Act 2024.

The new Act defines an independent aged care advocate as a person who:

speaks for the older person
provides free, independent and confidential support and information
educates the older person about their rights under the Statement of Rights
is independent of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the Commission and any registered providers.

OPAN’s guide explains your responsibilities as a provider and how you can support independent advocacy. It encourages you to:

review your policies and procedures so your policies and procedures clearly explain who can be an advocate
promote the Statement of Rights to make sure your workers meet their obligations
have a conflict-of-interest policy to recognise and manage conflicts
review your public information to make sure it explains your role and the role of advocates
communicate clearly so everyone understands the independent advocate’s role.

You can find the new OPAN guide in the resource library on our website.

First Nations

First Nations resource hub: practical tools and resources

The First Nations aged care resource hub is available to support providers to deliver culturally safe and appropriate care. The hub brings together a range of practical resources designed to help services to meet the needs of older First Nations peoples.

Resources include:

short videos highlighting best practice examples of culturally safe aged care
translated information to help make it accessible to a wider range of communities.

The hub also offers education tools and guidance to help providers understand the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards.

You can also find First Nations resources for:

providers and workers caring for older First Nations people
older First Nations people and their families.

Explore the First Nations Hub and use the resources as part of your ongoing cultural competency and quality improvement activities.

Food and nutrition

Planning for food, nutrition and dining success in 2026

The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (Quality Standards) set clear, measurable expectations for safe, high-quality, rights-based care.

Standard 6: Food and nutrition highlights the importance of mealtimes not just for providing nutritionally balanced and delicious meals, but for creating opportunities to offer choice, celebrate traditions and provide meaningful social connection.

January is a good time to set goals for a successful year ahead and look at ways to provide safer, higher quality care in 2026. It’s inspiring to see providers making positive change in food, nutrition and dining.

You can read about some examples of good practice seen across 2025 in our full article.

Clinical update

Changes to pharmacy funding for dose administration aids under the Support at Home program

The Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Package (HCP) program on 1 November 2025. Under the Support at Home program there are some changes to which home care services are funded.

The Support at Home service list shows the different services older people can use Support at Home funding for. Some items that providers could claim for under the HCP program, you’re not able to claim under the Support at Home program. This includes a pharmacist preparing a dose administration aid (DAA) or Webster-pak^®.

The Support at Home service list does include funding for ‘assistance with the self-administration of medication’. Under this, providers are funded to deliver services such as:

a worker arranging for a pharmacist to prepare a Webster-pak^® or DAA – but not to pay the pharmacist to prepare the DAA
providing assistance or supervision to an older person who can self-administer their medication
reminding an older person to take their medications.

Under the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, providers must have systems to understand each individual’s needs, goals and preferences and provide services and support to help them meet these needs. This includes supporting older people to use and organise DAAs to support their safety, independence and quality of life.

While there is no Support at Home program funding for a pharmacist to prepare a DAA, funding may be covered under other Government-funded programs such as the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA) DAA program.

Providers should speak with the older person’s local pharmacy and ask if they are participating in the DAA Program. You can find more information on the Pharmacy Programs Administrator DAA program webpage.

Webinars

Rights-based complaints handling under the new Aged Care Act

Join us for our first sector webinar for 2026 focusing on rights-based complaints handling under the new Aged Care Act.

Tuesday 17 February, 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm (AEDT)

Hosted by Commissioner Liz Hefren-Webb, you will hear from Treasure Jennings, the new independent Aged Care Complaints Commissioner. This role is appointed by the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors and is responsible for handling complaints independently from the Commission to enhance transparency and accountability.

Treasure will explain how we’re delivering a complaints service that upholds the rights of older people.

We will also discuss best practice complaints handling for providers and what older people can expect when they make a complaint to the Commission.

Panel:

Liz Hefren-Webb, Commissioner, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Chair)
Treasure Jennings, Aged Care Complaints Commissioner, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
David Pezzanite, Assistant Commissioner, Intake and Complaints, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Samantha Edmonds, Director Policy, Education & Systemic Advocacy, OPAN
David Wright-Howie, Senior Policy Officer, COTA

Registrations are open register now on our website.

Training and resources

Alis online learning

We offer a wide range of free learning content on the Aged Care Learning Information Solution (Alis) website, including on the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, the Aged Care Code of Conduct and infection prevention and control.

Recently, we’ve added new modules to our strengthened Quality Standards topic series, covering Activities of daily living, Care and services planning, and Contemporary, evidence-based practice.

Each module shows approaches that support best practice and positive outcomes for older people. They encourage you to reflect on how your own practices, systems and processes support your organisation to conform with the strengthened Quality Standards.

To find out more about the benefits of joining Alis, read our Alis brochure.

Our education team can help you with all Alis questions or issues. You can call us on 1800 728 589 or email education@agedcarequality.gov.au.

Online live learning

Places are available for our upcoming live learning sessions in February. Each month, we deliver live learning for people working in the aged care sector. These sessions offer practical tips to support learners to understand how to meet their obligations in their service. Commission facilitators deliver our live learning sessions.

Our workshop topic for February is:

The strengthened Quality Standards: preparing for the changes in residential and home services – learn about the strengthened Quality Standards and how you can apply them in your workplace.

Places are limited, so head to our Live learning page to learn more or register today.