The Australian Government has today delivered the biggest aged care reforms in a generation, with the Aged Care Act 2024 and the new Support at Home program now in place.
These once-in-a-generation changes enshrine the rights of older Australians in law and create a system designed to deliver safe, dignified and high-quality care for an ageing population.
The reforms respond to 58 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which exposed a system defined by one word: neglect.
At the heart of the new Act is a commitment to empower older Australians with choice and control over their lives and the care they receive, while setting the system up to handle the challenges Australia will face as our population ages, and the community's expectations of aged care evolve.
Above all, Australians want to stay in their homes longer. The new $4.3 billion Support at Home program delivers a higher level of care keeping them connected to the people and places they love.
To meet growing demand, Labor will deliver 83,000 Support at Home places by the end of this financial year.
For those who need residential care, the new Act puts older Australians at the centre of decision-making. Residential care places will now be assigned directly to individuals, giving people the ability to choose the home that best suits them - and the freedom to move if their needs change.
From 1 November, every provider will be registered under a new regulatory model and required to meet strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards-so every older person receives nothing short of the best care.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission now has stronger powers to ensure providers comply with their obligations and act in the interests of older Australians.
These reforms build on Labor's record of delivering real improvements since coming to Government, including:
• $18 billion to deliver award wage increases for aged care workers.
• A registered nurse onsite in aged care homes more than 99% of the time, delivering more direct care for over 250,000 older people.
• 7.1 million extra minutes of care every day compared to under the last government.
• A higher standard of residential aged care: in December 2023, only 54% of homes had an Overall Star Rating of 4 or 5 stars. Today, 79% of homes do.
• A Single Assessment System to make it easier for older people to access aged care and adapt services as their needs change-with assessment wait times now under one month.
• Funding to deliver culturally safe, trauma-aware and healing-informed aged care services for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and support more Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to become approved aged care providers.
This milestone reflects many years of collaboration and consultation with older people, providers, family members, advocates, workers and nurses across the sector to achieve reforms we can all be truly proud of.
We recognise this is not the end of reform, but the foundation of a modern, sustainable aged care system for generations to come.
