General Aged Care Act 2024 information
Read a summary and explanation of the main amendments made to the new Act during the parliamentary process.
The Aged Care Act 2024 plain language fact sheet is available in 6 languages, and Easy Read. It gives a summary of each chapter of the new Act.
You can also read about the key changes in the Act for older people.
Subscribe to EngAged to receive monthly updates about the aged care reforms and ageing well.
For information about the changes to aged care and how these changes will improve aged care, read the Exploring aged care booklet.
Module 1: A guide for older people – Understanding and Adapting the Aged Care Act 2024 Coming soon.
Read the Sector Change Plan to see what activities are underway to support the sector to transition to the new Act.
Read the ‘What is new or changing’ document to see what is new, what is changing and what is staying the same under the new Act.
Places to people
Read the embedding choice in residential aged care fact sheet to understand how the new system will assign places directly to older people.
Single Assessment
The Single Assessment System fact sheet is available in 11 languages, and Easy Read.
It explains how we are:
- reforming aged care assessments
- making it easier to enter aged care and access different services as your needs change. This fact sheet has been translated into 10 languages.
The Single Assessment System for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people fact sheet explains how the new system will benefit older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Statement of Rights
This Statement of Rights plain language fact sheet is available in 6 languages and Easy Read. It provides a summary of the rights older people have when accessing aged care services.
Supported Decision Making
Under the new Aged Care Act, older people must be treated with respect and are presumed to have the ability to make decisions. If they want help to make decisions they can choose to have a registered supporter. Read more about this role, what it replaces and what is staying the same on the department’s website.
Read about upcoming changes to support roles and relationships on the My Aged Care website to understand how you can be supported to make your own decisions.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Tailored resources explain how the changes will benefit older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people:
- Transforming Aged Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people community booklet, Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Andrea Kelly report to government summary
- Single Assessment System for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people fact sheet
- Support at Home program booklet older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and carers
Support at Home
The Support at Home program will start from 1 July 2025:
- read the booklet to understand your home care will change
- explore the commonly asked questions
- watch a presentation recording on the program design and key changes.
Read about key changes under the new program:
- fact sheet on pricing arrangements, such as changes to service price caps
- fact sheet on indicative price ranges
- fact sheet on how prices will be set and how you will be protected, to ensure prices are reasonable and transparent
- list of services you can access
- list of assistive technology and home modifications eligible participants can access.
If you currently receive a Home Care Package:
- use this checklist to prepare for Support at Home
- download our letter sent to older people approved for a Home Care Package before 12 September 2024 or after 12 September 2024. There are also frequently asked questions available relating to these letters.
Contributions and accommodation reform
For information on the new fee and the transition from previous arrangements:
- read the Higher Everyday Living Fee fact sheet
- watch the higher everyday living and accommodation funding reform webinar recording.
Quality Indicators
The Quality Indicator fact sheet describes each indicator and how we monitor residential aged care services.
Strengthened Quality Standards
The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards manual sets out what quality care looks like.
Fees and means testing
Understand how residential aged care fees are changing, watch the residential care fees and means testing webinar.
Whistleblower protections
The new Act will do more to protect whistleblowers – people who call out issues. Understand who you can report to and how.