Aged care laws in Australia have changed and the new Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025 now apply. The new Act includes new and different obligations and conditions.
On this page you’ll find latest updates and an overview of key topics and resources to help you understand the new Act during the transition period.
We provide tailored information which you can easily access from our home page for older people, for providers and for workers. We are finalising updates to our website to align with the new Aged Care Act.
Latest updates
Here you’ll find important updates as we transition to the new Aged Care Act on 1 November 2025.
1 November – SIRS notification
The SIRS online form on the My Aged Care Service and Support Portal is available for providers following the weekend upgrade.
31 October Weekend support
Our Customer Contact centre will operate over the weekend on 1 and 2 November for any urgent queries as we transition to the new Aged Care Act:
- phone on 1800 951 822
- email at info@agedcarequality.gov.au
- access the updated Complaints online form and new Provider enquiries form
31 October SIRS notification
Providers must still notify the Commission of any incidents under the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) during the transition to the new Act.
The SIRS online form on the My Aged Care Service and Support Portal is unavailable from 11.15pm AEDT on Thursday 30 October to 8.00am AEDT on Monday 3 November.
If you need to report an incident during this time, please call the Commission on 1800 081 549 between 9am – 5pm AEDT or email sirs@agedcarequality.gov.au, and they will provide you with the correct form for this reporting.
The new Act introduces changes to reportable incidents through the SIRS. Read our new resource, Reportable incidents and SIRS – a quick guide to changes from 1 November.
What you need to know
Rights-based regulation
We have entered a new era of aged care. The new Act ensures the rights of older people are at the centre of the system that cares for them.
The Statement of Rights, strengthened Quality Standards and Code of Conduct emphasise the rights, safety and wellbeing of older people.
- Watch our video with our Commissioner discussing the changes to aged care
- Read our regulatory strategy
- Watch our Statement of Rights videos for older people, and for providers and workers
Provider obligations – training and education
Providers are reminded of their obligations to plan and deliver appropriate training to their staff. This guide provides links to available free resources. Providers should roster dedicated paid time for workers to complete training and demonstrate competency against new requirements under the new Aged Care Act, consistent with providers’ obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009. Read more about the free learning resources available.
Rights-based complaints handling
Providers need to meet their new obligations and have a strong system for resolving complaints. Our Better practice guide to complaints handling and Complaints handling checklist can help providers to improve their complaints processes. Whistleblower protections will now be available to people who share information with us if they believe a provider, worker or responsible person has broken the law.
Provider registration and audit
Under the new Aged Care Act, if you provide government-funded aged care, you must be registered by us. Our registration process helps to make sure providers are suitable and capable of delivering safe, quality aged care. The audit process is changing from 1 November with the new Aged Care Act. We’ll audit providers in categories 4, 5 and 6 against the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards when they’re registering, renewing or varying their registration.
Provider governance – your obligations
Providers must meet the provider governance obligations in the new Aged Care Act and Aged Care Rules that apply to their registration category or categories. Registered providers must make sure that their actions when delivering care and services uphold the Statement of Rights and meet the strengthened Quality Standards.
Clinical governance – your obligations
Providers must meet clinical governance obligations to comply with the strengthened Quality Standards. Core elements include consumer partnerships, risk management and workforce capability.
Financial and prudential standards
The new Financial and Prudential Standards start with the new Aged Care Act. They put older people first by strengthening how providers manage money and risk, so care remains safe, high quality and reliable.
Managing non-compliance
Our Compliance and Enforcement Policy explains the things we consider when deciding how to intervene, and the actions we can take to respond to providers not complying. The model and policy work together and guide how we regulate under the new Aged Care Act.
Sector resources overview
We have produced an extensive suite of resources to support older people, providers and workers including:
- guidance materials
- webinars
- fact sheets
- videos
- training programs and more.
These resources are listed by topic. It includes tailored resources for First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse providers, workers and older people. We’ll continue to update this document as draft materials are finalised or more resources become available.
