New Aged Care Act 2024
New Aged Care Act 2024
What do residents need to know?
What is changing?
What is changing?
Whether you are exploring aged care options for yourself or a loved one, or you are already preparing to join our community, it is important to know about some key updates that affect everyone entering aged care from 1 November 2025.
These changes come as part of the new Aged Care Act 2024, which brings a fresh focus on dignity, choice, and respect for older Australians.
From the right to make your own decisions, to receiving safe, quality care that respects your background and preferences, this new framework puts older people firmly at the centre of care. We encourage you to take a moment to explore these rights and understand how they support a more empowering and inclusive aged care experience.
Image source: Aged Care Act - Statement of Rights
For supporters
For supporters
Through the Aged Care Act 2024, the role that families, friends and others can play as supporters is changing.
There is a legal framework through registering supporters. Regular and authorised representatives in My Aged Care active on 31 October will be known as ‘registered supporters’ from 1 November 2025. Regular and authorised representatives and older people with regular representatives can opt out of moving to a supporter relationship under the new Act.
The aim of the new defined roles is to promote older people’s right to be supported to make their own decisions.
People who are appointed decision-makers for an older person can make decisions on their behalf under state or territory arrangements. However, decision-makers can still only make decisions in line with their (active) legal authority. This includes people who were recognised by aged care providers as representatives under the Quality of Care Principles 2014.
Fees and funding
Fees and funding
Starting 1 November 2025, anyone moving into aged care will be part of a new fees and funding model introduced under the updated Aged Care Act. These changes are designed to make the system more transparent, with contributions tailored to each individual's financial situation.
The new model includes a Basic Daily Care Fee, a Means-Tested Contribution for living costs, and a non-clinical care contribution. Accommodation payments may also change, with options to pay through a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD), a Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP), or a mix of both.
To get a clearer idea of what your costs might look like, we recommend using the Fee Estimator on My Aged Care.
If you're considering one of our homes, our Accommodation Payment Calculator can help you estimate your accommodation costs more specifically.
Key Resources
- The Exploring Aged Care booklet is aimed at older people, their families and carers with important information about the changes to aged care.
Exploring aged care | health.gov.au - Self-Advocacy toolkit, available through OPAN (Older Persons Advocacy Network), provides further information on how older can remain in the "driver’s seat" of their aged care decisions.
Self-advocacy toolkit | opan.org.au - ELearning for older people, their families and carers is a 3-Module guide to help you understand the changes introduced by the Aged Care Act 2024.
eLearning for older people, their families and carers | health.gov.au - Your guide to the Aged Care Act 2024 is a trainging package developed for facilitators to support them in conversations with older people, their families and carers.
Your Guide to the Aged Care Act 2024: Aligning to changes | health.gov.au
