Aged Care Act

The new Aged Care Act is in effect from 1 November 2025.

This new rights-based Act puts older people at the centre of the aged care, and is the key to improving Australia’s aged care system – providing better quality care, increasing protections for older people.

The Act does not include everything older people and aged care advocates asked for, but critically, older peoples’ rights are now enshrined in the Act through a Statement of Rights, which service providers have a positive duty to uphold.

The Act also brings greater safeguards around decision making. The Act acknowledges that some older people may want support in making certain types of decisions, and older people can register one or more people to assist them. These are registered supporters, upholding the older person’s wishes and preferences.