New Aged Care Act
From 1 November 2025, the new Aged Care Act is the main law that sets out the aged care system.
The new Act has an important Statement of Rights. This will help to make sure the needs of all older people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, are at the heart of the aged care system.
The Aged Care Quality Standards have also been strengthened to improve the quality of aged care.
You also have the choice to have an aged care assessment with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation.
The recent aged care reforms aim to better support older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to access culturally safe aged care services. This includes:
- offering aged care assessments with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to provide culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed assessment.
- 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 all 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 to continue to provide high quality, flexible and culturally safe aged care services.
Work under the reforms is also in line with the:
- principles of Closing the Gap
- rights in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Learn more about the new Aged Care Act.
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.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Framework
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Framework is a 10-year roadmap. The actions in the roadmap will help deliver a quality aged care system for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The framework aims to:
- ensure a culturally safe and responsive system access to aged care services
- ensure culturally safe, accurate and prioritised assessment
- increase the number of Aboriginal community-controlled aged care providers
- grow the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in aged care
- support all aged care providers to deliver culturally safe services.
These actions will help improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ experience throughout each stage of the aged care journey. It delivers and expands on recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
The framework was developed in partnership with the First Nations Aged Care Governance Group.
Programs for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Elder Care Support Program
Elder Care Support is designed for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families and carers. Elder Care Support workers helps older people access aged care services that meet their physical and cultural needs.
We have partnered with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) to establish and deliver the program.
Read the list of Elder Care Support Providers.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program
There are culturally safe services offered through the NATSIFACP. This program offers a range of different, flexible types of aged care depending on community needs. Most of these services are in rural and remote areas.
Support at Home program
The Support at Home program helps older people live at home for longer. It supports older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to access aged care that is:
- culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed
- in or close to their community.
Support at Home has services, products, equipment and home modifications to support you as you age. This will help you to stay healthy, active and socially connected to your community.
The Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme from 1 November 2025.
Visit Support at Home program resources for information about Support at Home for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)
CHSP provides aged care services at home for older people who need some help to stay at home. It aims to support the social, cultural, spiritual and care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Support services include domestic assistance, transport, meals, personal care, social support, nursing and allied health. The CHSP is focused on low level care needs and not designed for people with intensive or complex care needs.
The CHSP will remain in place until it becomes part of the Support at Home program. This will happen no earlier than 1 July 2027.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care assessment organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care assessment organisations aim to:
- provide more choice for culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed aged care assessments
- better connect older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with appropriate care.
From 1 August 2025, these organisations roll out progressively as part of the Single Assessment System for aged care.
Programs for aged care providers
We are working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care providers. We aim to support them to 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.
This advisory service allows eligible aged care providers to apply for free, independent, and confidential advice to improve their operations. This includes providers in regional, rural and remote areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander providers.
The service assists providers to review their operations and provides advice on:
- business management
- financial strategies
- workforce challenges.
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 is trialling 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 older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 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 aims to attract, increase and upskill Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in aged care.
It 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 committed to ensuring cultural safety training materials and best-practice guidance materials informed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are available to the aged care sector.
This will support all organisations to improve and embed culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.