New Aged Care Act
The new Aged Care Act will start from 1 July 2025. It is an important action resulting from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the new Act will embed the right to:
- access culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed assessments and aged care services
- stay connected to community and Country.
This work will help their aged care access and care experiences through:
- increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander assessment organisations that can safely support service assessments of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- continuing to support more local Elder Care Support workforce, who help older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with information and their aged care services
- increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care workforce in local services
- supporting mainstream aged care providers to ensure they can provide safe aged care experiences for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- continuing to support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector in their aged care service delivery quality.
Building an aged care system that provides fair and equal access and outcomes for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is also in line with community awareness of:
- the principles of Closing the Gap
- the rights in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner
Ms Andrea Kelly is a proud Warumungu and Larrakia woman, and the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner.
Ms Kelly’s focus as Interim Commissioner is to hear from older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities across Australia to understand their aged care needs.
Ms Kelly is working with the Government and sector to advocate for culturally safe, trauma-aware, and healing informed aged care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Learn more about the role of the Interim Commissioner.
Programs for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Elder Care Support
Elder Care Support helps older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families and carers, access aged care services that meets their physical and cultural needs.
We have partnered with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) to establish and deliver the program.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program
The NATSIFAC program provides culturally safe and flexible aged care to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, supporting them to stay close to home and community.
Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)
The CHSP is an entry-level in-home aged care support program that helps older people to live independently in their homes and communities.
The CHSP also provides respite services to give carers a break.
The program aims to:
- help older people live as independently as possible
- focus on working with them, rather than doing things for them
- give a small amount of help to a large number of people.
Home Care Packages Program
The Home Care Packages Program helps people to stay at home for as long as possible as they get older.
Packages provide a coordinated mix of care and services that can include:
- help with household tasks
- aids and equipment (such as walking frames)
- minor home modifications
- personal care
- clinical care, such as nursing, allied health and physiotherapy services.
Support at Home program
The Support at Home program will help older people live independently at home for longer.
It will support older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to access culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed aged care in or close to their community.
The Support at Home program will replace the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme from 1 July 2025.
The CHSP will transition to Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
We are working with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and providers to ensure Support at Home supports the diverse and changing needs of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
First Nations assessment organisations
First Nations assessment organisations will:
- deliver culturally safe and appropriate aged care assessments
- better connect older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with appropriate care.
These organisations will start from 1 July 2025, as part of a new Single Assessment System for aged care.
Programs for aged care providers
We are working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to learn about the changes in aged care so more ACCOs will enter and remain in the aged care sector.
Remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Aged Care Service Development Assistance Panel (SDAP)
The SDAP gives free professional support to aged care service providers located in remote areas or who provide care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
SDAP helps providers with:
- clinical care and advisory services
- financial and workforce planning
- governance and regulation.
Business and Workforce Advisory Service
The Business and Workforce Advisory Service provides free, confidential and professional advice on aged care business and workforce issues.
Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP)
The ACCAP provides grants to providers in areas where older people have limited or no access to services (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities) to:
- build, extend, maintain or upgrade aged care services
- build staff accommodation.
Integrated Care and Commissioning initiative
The Integrated Care and Commissioning initiative will trial new and innovative models of care.
It brings together resources in health, aged care, disability and veterans’ care, to better support and coordinate services in rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Specialised aged care for First Nations people
Aged care providers who deliver specialised care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can apply to have this claim verified and displayed on My Aged Care.
This helps older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people find culturally safe aged care options.
Indigenous Employment Initiative Program
The Indigenous Employment Initiative Program provides targeted organisations with grants for wages and training to create employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers in non-clinical aged care roles.
Defining cultural safety
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council has developed a definition of cultural safety with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander:
- Elders
- older people
- peak organisations, including the Healing Foundation.
This will help partners and providers develop their own policy, training and best practice guidance, to embed cultural safety in aged care.
Read the definition of cultural safety in the Explanatory Memorandum of the Aged Care Bill.
Cultural safety training
We are co-designing cultural safety training materials and best-practice guidance with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.
This will support mainstream organisations to improve and embed culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.