Consultation overview
We progressively invited feedback on the Aged Care Rules that will sit under the new Act.
The Rules provide further detail and instruction on how the new Act will work.
We published the Rules across 7 separate releases for consultation between September 2024 and May 2025. We communicated updates via this page and our regular channels during each phase of the consultation.
The new Act will result in major changes across the aged care system. The consultation on the Rules was a valuable opportunity for:
- everyone to better understand what these changes will mean for them
- everyone to learn how the Rules will impact older people, and the quality of care they receive
- us to ensure the Rules are refined based on feedback collected through consultation with the community and aged care sector
- providers to tell us what they need to prepare for the new Act.
On 31 July 2025 the department published a consolidated final draft of the Rules to give the sector early visibility of what to expect in the final Rules.
The final Rules were signed and made by the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors in September 2025. Changes made between the final draft in July and the making of the final Rules in September were minor and technical in nature.
The final Rules are available in full on the Federal Register of Legislation.
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Final draft of the new Aged Care Rules
This is the final draft of the Rules for the new Aged Care Act. It was the focus of public consultation between September 2024 and May 2025. -
Aged Care Rules 2025: Summary of key changes
The Aged Care Rules 2025 provide further detail and explanation of how the Aged Care Act 2024 will work. This fact sheet provides a summary of changes to the Rules since the release of the Exposure Draft on 31 July 2025. -
Summary of key changes to the new Aged Care Rules
This fact sheet provides a high-level summary of the key changes made to the Rules following the consultation period.
Stage 4b release – Remaining Rules
The Stage 4b release included the remaining draft Rules for Chapter 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 of the new Act. This was the final release for the consultation on the Aged Care Rules.
This release focused on:
- entering aged care and how places are allocated to people
- rules for providers, workers and digital platforms
- how we will support you to make a complaint
- what information the government must or can share
- accommodation costs.
We included a supporting document and other explanatory materials to help explain the Rules covered in this stage of the consultation.
Submissions closed on 13 May 2025.
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Consultation draft – Aged Care Rules 2025
This is a draft of the Rules released under the Stage 4b consultation on the Rules for the new Aged Care Act.
Stage 4a release – Place allocation, funding and provider obligations
The Stage 4a release contained the draft Rules for Chapter 2, 3, 4 and 7 of the new Aged Care Act.
This release focused on:
- how places are allocated to providers under certain specialist aged care programs
- provider responsibilities such as the requirement to have a registered nurse on site 24/7
- accommodation payments
- how former providers must manage information and records.
We included a supporting document to help explain the Rules covered in this stage of the consultation. It is not a comprehensive guide to the Rules, nor is it a standalone document.
Submissions closed on 11 April 2025.
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Draft Aged Care Rules – Release 4a
This is a draft for the Aged Care rules release 4a instrument for Aged Care Rules 2025.
Stage 3 release – Provider obligations
The Stage 3 release of the Aged Care Rules focuses on provider obligations under Chapter 3 of the new Aged Care Act.
This release focused on:
- existing obligations like the Code of Conduct, restrictive practices and the strengthened Quality Standards
- new requirements including rights and principles
- reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
We included a supporting document to help explain the Rules covered in this stage of the consultation.
Submissions closed 13 March 2025.
New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 3 – Provider Obligations
Stage 2 release – Funding of aged care services (Chapter 4)
The Stage 2 release contained the draft Rules for Chapter 4 of the Aged Care Act 2024. Chapter 4 is about the funding of aged care services, including subsidies, contributions, means testing, accommodation and grants.
An early overview of the draft Rules for Chapter 4 was made available before the consultation period opened. The Rules for Chapter 4 were subsequently released in sub-stages, including:
- Stage 2a (funding for Support at Home)
- Stage 2b (funding for other aged care programs, including for individuals already accessing funded aged care services on 1 November 2025, i.e. the ‘no worse off’ principle)
- Stage 2c (Grantee Code of Conduct, banning orders and non-recovery of recoverable amounts).
Stage 2c release – Chapter 4 and 6 Rules
Stage 2c contained the draft Rules for Chapters 4 and 6 of the Aged care Act 2024. It covers how certain grant recipients need to act, how a person can access or correct information on the banning order Register and how government will calculate an outstanding debt’s value.
This stage covered:
- the Grantee Code of Conduct – how certain grant recipients need to act
- banning orders – how a person can access or correct information on the banning order register
- non-recovery of recoverable amounts – how the government will calculate an outstanding debt’s value.
We included a supporting document to help explain the Rules.
Submissions closed on 27 March 2025.
New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 2c – funding and regulation
Stage 2b release – Chapter 4 Rules
The Stage 2b release of the Aged Care Rules focused on the funding arrangements for most of the aged care programs covered by Chapter 4 of the new laws, including the ‘no worse off’ principle for residential care and Support at Home.
A small number of topics under Chapter 4 were not included in Stage 2b and were released at a later date. These included:
- subsidy calculations for older people who entered permanent residential aged care before 1 November 2025
- grants for providers to deliver aged care services, including the Grantee Code of Conduct
- accommodation payments and accommodation contributions, including the collection and indexation of refundable accommodation deposits (RADs).
As part of the Stage 2b release, we also re-released the draft Rules from Stage 2a, which focused on Support at Home funding arrangements. This allowed people to view the Rules for Support at Home along with the other Chapter 4 Rules released as part of Stage 2b. As the feedback received from the Stage 2a rules was still being analysed, this release had not changed from the original release in November 2024.
We included a supporting document which included a glossary of common terminology to help explain the Rules. It is not a comprehensive guide to the Rules, nor is it a standalone document. It should be read with:
- the new Act and its Explanatory Memorandum
- the Overview of the New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 2 – Funding of aged care services (Chapter 4)
- the draft Rules released in Stage 2b.
Submissions closed 28 February 2025.
New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 2b – Funding for other aged care programs
Stage 2a release – Funding related to Support at Home
The Stage 2a release contained the draft Rules for Chapter 4 of the Aged Care Act 2024. The release focused on funding related to the new Support at Home program, including subsidies, individual contributions and means testing for older people.
Feedback was collected via an online form. Submissions closed on 6 December 2024.
You ca read a summary of the feedback we received on the Stage 2a release. You can also view the individual submissions we received.
New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 2a – Funding for Support at Home program
Stage 1 release – Service list
The Stage 1 release for the consultation on the New Aged Care Act Rules contained the service list. The service list outlines the care and services that will be available to older people under the new laws.
Submissions closed on 31 October 2024.
The final Aged Care Service List is provided in Chapter 1, Part 3 of the Aged Care Rules.
You can read a summary of the feedback we received on the Stage 1 release. You can also view the individual submissions we received.
New Aged Care Act Rules consultation – Release 1 – Service list
Transitional Rules
The Transitional Rules align to the Chapters in the Aged Care Act 2024 and deal with matters not addressed by the Aged Care (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2024. The Transitional Rules are mechanical in nature and seek to ensure a seamless transition between the previous legal framework and the new framework with a focus on ensuring continuity of care for older people.
This document summarises the Transitional Rules which will support a seamless transition between the existing and the new legal frameworks for aged care.