AGED CARE REFORMS
& TRANSITION NEWS
Service Agreements for Residential Aged Care
As of 1 November 2025, service agreements replaced residential agreements as the legal agreement between service provider and resident. Residents who entered care before this date and have not yet been transitioned to a service agreement must do so before 1 November 2026. The agreement must include details on people and services, rights and responsibilities, and fees and contributions. It must be aligned to meet the requirements of the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025.
Updated Support at Home Manual
The Support at Home Manual and training has been updated, and now contains details about prices, payments and fees, as well as new service and funding guidance. The manual is designed to assist registered providers to understand and comply with the Support at Home program rules, procedures and obligations. A summary of changes has also been provided.
Video: Support at Home Changes
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has a collection of Support at Home reform implementation videos designed to assist the aged care sector in keeping up to date with the changes to the Support at Home Program. The topics that these videos cover include personal care contributions, end-of-life pathway changes, and new consumer protections.
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Videos with Auslan Translation
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has a collection of videos translated in Auslan and designed for older people, their families, carers and communities who use Auslan. Topic include (but are not limited to) rights-based and person-centred care, the Statement of Rights, and the complaints handling process.
Support at Home Wait Times Published
The Australian Government has published estimated wait times for Support at Home ongoing services. These times will depend on various factors including the date of approval, the priority category that recipients were approved for. The Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report has also been published, featuring median and average measures of the time elapsed between application through My Aged Care to commencement of aged care services for the 1 November 2025 – 31 March 2026.
