Australia’s aged care system is undergoing its most profound transformation in decades. Rooted in the Royal Commission’s 2021 findings, sweeping reforms are reshaping everything from rights and costs to care delivery and innovation.
1. A New Era of Rights-Based Care
The Aged Care Act 2024, passed on 25 November 2024, introduces a Statement of Rights. From 1 November 2025, older Australians will be at the centre of care decisions—choices, dignity and culture now matter as much as clinical support.
The rollout was originally scheduled for 1 July 2025 but was delayed until November to give providers and support agencies more preparation time.
2. Seven Strengthened Quality Standards
From 1 July 2025, the aged care sector has adopted a revamped set of seven quality standards, replacing the former eight. These focus on person-centred, culturally safe care (especially crucial for First Nations and CALD communities), improved dementia and mental health support, and clear accountability measures.
3. Support at Home — More Choice, Fewer Wait Times (Delayed Start)
The Support at Home program – designed to deliver care packages allowing seniors to live independently – will now begin from 1 November 2025, delayed from July. The delay means that nearly 83,000 Australians are still waiting for services like housecleaning, transport, gardening, or home modifications.
Despite delays, the plan aims to provide 100,000+ new packages over two years, helping ease waiting lists that have grown to over 25,000 in Victoria alone and extended to 15 months in some areas.
4. A Single Gateway & Central Assessment System
Barriers are coming down. From November 2025, Australians will access aged care through a single entry point and one assessment process, simplifying navigation of the system and making eligibility clearer and fairer.
5. Real-World Technology and Innovation
Early-stage grants from ARIIA’s 2025 Accelerator Program are already breathing life into novel approaches—tech-enabled home care, regional service pilots, and culturally tailored programs for diverse communities.
As we begin to step into a more digitised and streamlined cloud-based system for the aged care sector, experts are touting that there will be consistent access to updated information on residents, applications and more, making for a far quicker and more streamlined process for aged care providers like Kew Gardens.
For many aged care operators, these tech-forward shifts promise not only faster administrative processing but also improved coordination, transparency, and ultimately, better care outcomes.
6. Foundations from the Aged Care Royal Commission
While much of the spotlight in 2025 is on forward-looking reforms, many of today’s changes stem from the groundwork laid by the Aged Care Royal Commission. Beyond uncovering human rights concerns in aged care, the Commission also identified key avenues to deliver more responsive and sustainable services.
One such advancement is the adoption of Business to Government approaches, which allow providers to receive real-time updates and guidance from regulatory bodies. This improved data flow enables facilities to better understand resident needs, compliance requirements, and funding eligibility, ultimately supporting more life-enriching care that is also cost-effective.
Technology continues to be a major driver. The integration of smart technology in the aged care sector — from digital health tracking to personalised cognitive tools — has helped improve not just care delivery but also engagement and wellbeing among older Australians.
Government bodies such as the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) are also working more closely with aged care systems, sharing relevant data to streamline access to benefit packages and services like support coordination, significantly reducing wait times for essential care.
As the aged care sector evolves, there is a growing emphasis on enhancing aged care respite services, ensuring that both caregivers and recipients benefit from improved support and flexibility.
7. More Financial Transparency — and Room Price Cap Boost
From mid‑2025, providers can now charge up to A$750,000 for certain high-end residential care rooms without prior approval, a move seen as increasing transparency but raising equity concerns.
8. Sector Concerns, Learning Curves & Calls for Caution
Many in aged care—including Ageing Australia—warned implementation was “impossible” under the original timeline, especially the sudden requirement for individual service agreements for all home-care recipients. The delay provided some relief, but smaller providers still face operational strain.
At the same time, systemic IT failures and contractor delays have already pushed some reform elements off track, challenging the promise of seamless transitions.
🧡 A Case Story of Empathy and Hope
Meet Marisol, who moved to Australia as a young nurse decades ago. Today, she lives with early-stage dementia and dreams of staying in her suburban home in Melbourne.
Thanks to new reforms (once fully rolled out), Marisol can register a supporter to help her make decisions, benefit from a clearer rights statement, and access home care packages tailored to her needs and cultural background.
Before reforms, Marisol waited 12 months for help and had no formal voice in her care. Now, even as the Support at Home program launches in November 2025, she holds hope—in her voice, her dignity, and the system that now listens.
Looking Ahead: What’s Still to Come
- The Commonwealth Home Support Programme will transition fully into Support at Home by mid‑2027, streamlining all entry points.
- A First Nations Aged Care Commissioner is settling into the role, helping ensure culturally safe care for Indigenous seniors.
- Providers will face more financial scrutiny, stronger regulatory oversight, and mandatory codes of conduct to curb poor care and abuse.
Feature image: Photo by Georg Arthur Pflueger on Unsplash
