Registered providers (providers) have workforce obligations under the new Aged Care Act 2024, including:
- strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (strengthened Quality Standards)
- Aged Care Code of Conduct (Code)
- worker screening
- Statement of Principles.
Strengthened Quality Standards
The strengthened Quality Standards apply to providers in categories 4, 5, and 6.
Providers in these categories must engage aged care workers (workers) with appropriate qualifications, skills and experience. You must also show that you understand and can manage and plan your workforce needs.
The Quality Standards guidance explains the strengthened Quality Standards and Outcomes. It supports you to understand and comply with the Standards, including those related to workforce such as:
Care needs
You must ensure that care and services plans are regularly reviewed and are used by aged care workers to guide the delivery of funded aged care services (Outcome 3.1).
Aged care workers
All providers must make sure that their workers have appropriate qualifications, skills and experience to deliver aged care services.
Providers registered in categories 4–6 must:
- encourage and support workers to make complaints and give feedback about the provider without fear of negative consequences (Outcome 2.6a)
- show they understand and manage their workforce needs, and plan for the future (Outcome 2.8)
- provide workers with training and supervision so they can perform their roles effectively (Outcome 2.9).
Access online learning on the Aged Care Learning Information Solution (Alis) website to help you understand your responsibilities and provide safe, high-quality care.
Governance
Registered providers in categories 4–6 must make sure their governing body:
- sets the strategic priorities for the organisation
- promotes and supports a culture of safety and quality.
The governing body must:
- lead a culture of quality, safety and inclusion by making sure that the provider is:
- always improving
- embracing diversity
- prioritising the safety, health and wellbeing of workers and older people (Outcome 2.2a and Outcome 2.2b)
- oversee all parts of the provider’s operations (Outcome 2.3)
- make sure the provider uses a quality system that supports them to keep improving the care they deliver (Outcome 2.3)
- make sure the provider has current policies and procedures on how workers do their roles (Outcome 2.3)
- make sure the provider delivers safe and quality clinical care services (Outcome 5.1)
- make sure the provider integrates clinical governance in their corporate governance to manage and improve the safety and quality of their clinical care services (Outcome 5.1).
You can find more information in the Strengthened Quality Standards guidance.
Aged Care Code of Conduct
Providers, workers and responsible persons must comply with the Aged Care Code of Conduct (Code).
You must also take reasonable steps to make sure your workers and responsible persons comply with the Code.
Reasonable steps include supporting your workers and responsible persons to:
- know and understand the Code
- provide aged care in a way that follows the Code
- do regular training and professional development on how they need to behave under the Code
- understand the consequences (for themselves and you) if they don’t comply with the Code
- resolve issues if someone has a concern about how they comply with the Code.
We expect you to monitor your workers and responsible persons to make sure they’re delivering aged care in a way that follows the Code.
You must use systems that help you make sure your workers and responsible persons have enough training and support to understand the Code.
You can find more information about the Code on the Aged Care Code of Conduct for providers webpage.
Worker screening
Providers must comply with the worker screening requirements in the Aged Care Rules 2025. This includes making sure workers and responsible persons comply with the worker screening requirements.
What you need to do depends on:
- the type of care you provide
- the type of person you are screening – workers and responsible persons have different screening requirements.
You will generally need to get one of the following:
- police certificate
- NDIS Commission worker screening clearance.
If a person doesn’t meet the worker screening requirements, you can’t let them work in aged care.
We also expect you to check our banning order register to make sure any possible workers aren’t banned from working in aged care.
The government plans to change worker screening requirements in the future. You can find more information on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s worker screening webpage.
Statement of Principles
The Statement of Principles supports a person-centred aged care system. This includes aged care services being delivered by a diverse, trained and appropriately skilled workforce who are valued and respected.
These Principles also support aged care workers to be empowered to provide feedback, support innovation and contribute towards improvements to high-quality care. They support workers participating in governance and accountability mechanisms for the delivery of aged care services.
More information
The Australian Government introduced mandatory workforce-related obligations for residential aged care providers in 2023. Read more about the 24/7 registered nurse and care minutes responsibilities.
You can learn more about aged care workforce initiatives and programs on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s website.
