Australia’s aged care system is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. On 1 November 2025, the system entered a new era with the commencement of the Aged Care Act 2024. The reforms were introduced by the Australian Government following years of national consultation, research, and recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
This new legislation replaces the previous Aged Care Act 1997, which had governed the sector for nearly three decades. While the earlier Act established the foundation for modern aged care, it was largely designed around funding structures and service delivery. Over time, it became clear that a more contemporary, rights-based framework was needed, that better reflects modern expectations about dignity, independence, transparency, and quality of life.
The reforms have been shaped by the voices and lived experiences of older Australians, families, carers, advocates, and providers across the country. They reflect a shared understanding that aged care is not simply about delivering services, but about supporting people to live meaningful lives with dignity, choice, and connection.
At Anglicare Southern Queensland, we see every day how the right care can preserve independence, strengthen wellbeing, and provide reassurance for families. These reforms aim to ensure that this level of care is available consistently, transparently, and fairly across the entire aged care system. You can explore our full overview of the changes on our Anglicare Southern Queensland page explaining the aged care reforms and what they mean for older Australians.
This article explains why reform is needed, the challenges it is designed to address, and how these changes will improve aged care for older Australians now and into the future.
Background: the need for reform
Australia’s aged care system has supported millions of people over many decades. It has enabled older Australians to live independently at home, access essential support, and receive compassionate residential care when needed.
However, Australia’s population is ageing rapidly. People are living longer than ever before, often with more complex health conditions, mobility challenges, and support needs. Many older Australians want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, maintaining independence, familiarity, and connection to their communities.
At the same time, residential aged care continues to play a vital role in supporting people whose care needs cannot be safely met at home. These communities provide essential clinical care, supervision, and support for people living with higher or more complex needs.
As demand has grown and expectations have evolved, it became clear that the aged care system needed to change. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety identified areas where the system could be improved, particularly in ensuring consistent quality, strengthening safeguards, and placing older people at the centre of care decisions.
In response, the Australian Government introduced comprehensive aged care reforms, culminating in the new Aged Care Act 2024. These reforms aim to create a system that is sustainable, transparent, and focused first and foremost on the rights, wellbeing, and individual needs of older people.
Key problems in the previous aged care system
The aged care reforms are designed to address several long-standing challenges that have affected older Australians and their families.
Limited choice and flexibility in care
Older Australians have diverse needs, preferences, cultural backgrounds, and personal goals. However, the previous aged care system was not always flexible enough to respond to these individual circumstances.
Some people experienced delays accessing appropriate levels of care, particularly when their needs increased due to illness, injury, or declining health. Others found that available services did not fully reflect their personal routines, cultural needs, or preferences for how and where care was delivered.
The reforms aim to change this by creating a more flexible system where care adapts to the person. Initiatives like the new Support at Home program are designed to give older Australians greater choice and control over how their care is delivered.
Complexity and difficulty navigating the system
For many people, accessing aged care has historically felt confusing and overwhelming. Understanding eligibility, funding options, assessments, waiting lists, and service providers often involved navigating complex processes and unfamiliar terminology.
This can be especially challenging during times of stress, such as following a hospital stay or sudden change in health. The reforms aim to simplify access to care by making information clearer, improving assessment processes, and creating more streamlined pathways to support.
At Anglicare Southern Queensland, our team helps people understand their options, whether accessing home-based care or exploring Residential Aged Care. This guidance helps reduce uncertainty and ensures people receive the support they need sooner.
Inconsistent quality and safety across services
While many aged care providers deliver excellent care, quality has not always been consistent across the sector. Older Australians and their families need to feel confident that care will be safe, respectful, and reliable, regardless of where it is delivered.
The reforms strengthen quality standards, improve oversight, and increase accountability to ensure providers consistently deliver safe, effective, and person-centred care. These changes help ensure every older Australian receives the high standard of care they deserve.
A system not always centred on individual rights
Historically, aged care legislation focused primarily on funding and service delivery structures. While these systems enabled care to be provided, they did not always clearly prioritise the individual rights and autonomy of the person receiving care.
The Aged Care Act 2024 introduces a formal Statement of Rights, ensuring older Australians have the right to:
- Be treated with dignity and respect
- Make decisions about their care and daily life
- Maintain independence wherever possible
- Receive safe, high-quality care
- Be supported according to their individual needs and preferences.
This represents a fundamental shift toward a system built around people-centred care.
Workforce and sustainability challenges
Australia’s ageing population means demand for aged care will continue to grow significantly in the coming decades. Meeting this demand requires a skilled, supported, and sustainable workforce.
The reforms include measures to strengthen workforce training, improve career pathways, and support providers in delivering high-quality care. This ensures aged care remains sustainable and capable of supporting future generations.
An overview of the aged care reforms
The aged care reforms introduce structural and legislative changes designed to improve quality, accessibility, transparency, and person-centred care across the entire aged care system. These changes are not simply administrative updates. They represent a fundamental shift in how aged care is designed, delivered, and experienced – moving from a system shaped primarily by funding models to one built around the rights, needs, and wellbeing of older Australians.
The reforms focus on strengthening protections, simplifying access, improving flexibility, and ensuring consistent quality across both home care and residential aged care. Together, these changes aim to create a system that is easier to navigate, more responsive to individual needs, and better equipped to support people as their circumstances evolve over time. For older Australians and their families, this means greater clarity, stronger safeguards, and more confidence that care will support not only physical needs, but independence, dignity, and overall quality of life.
A rights-based framework
One of the most significant changes introduced by the Aged Care Act 2024 is the formal establishment of a rights-based framework. For the first time, the legislation includes a clear Statement of Rights that places older Australians at the centre of the aged care system.
This framework recognises that aged care is not simply a service, but a partnership that must respect each person’s autonomy, preferences, identity, and lived experience. It reinforces the principle that older people have the right to make decisions about their care, be treated with dignity and respect, and receive support that reflects their individual goals and values.
This shift has important practical implications. It strengthens accountability across the sector and ensures providers are legally required to prioritise the wellbeing, safety, and preferences of the people they support. It also provides greater reassurance for families, knowing their loved ones are protected by clear and enforceable rights. By embedding these rights in legislation, the reforms help ensure aged care supports people as individuals – not simply as recipients of services, but as people with their own identity, voice, and agency.
Support at Home program
The introduction of the Support at Home program is one of the most significant and practical components of the reforms. This new program replaces previous home care programs, including Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care, with a more streamlined, flexible, and coordinated approach.
The goal of Support at Home is to make it easier for older Australians to access the care they need while remaining in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes for as long as possible. Research consistently shows that most people prefer to age in place, surrounded by their belongings, routines, and community connections. The Support at Home program is designed to make this more achievable.
Through this program, older Australians can access a broad range of services, including:
- Personal care, such as help with showering, dressing, and mobility
- Nursing care and clinical support
- Allied health services, including physiotherapy and occupational therapy
- Home maintenance, modifications, and assistive technology
- Social support and community connection.
Importantly, the program introduces greater flexibility in how funding is used, allowing services to be tailored more closely to each person’s preferences and changing needs. This means care can evolve over time, providing reassurance that support will remain aligned with individual circumstances. By simplifying access and improving coordination, the Support at Home program helps reduce delays, remove unnecessary complexity, and ensure people receive the right care at the right time.
Strengthening residential aged care
While many older Australians are able to live independently at home, residential aged care remains essential for people whose needs require higher levels of support, supervision, or clinical care.
The reforms strengthen residential aged care quality, transparency, and protections for residents. These changes focus on ensuring residential aged care communities provide safe, supportive, and person-centred environments.
One key change is the restructuring of funding arrangements, with the Australian Government now covering the full cost of clinical care for residents. This helps ensure people receive the medical and clinical support they need, regardless of their financial circumstances.
The reforms also introduce stronger quality standards, clearer accountability requirements, and improved oversight of providers. Residential aged care homes are now subject to enhanced monitoring and must demonstrate consistent compliance with strengthened care standards. For residents and their families, this provides greater reassurance that residential aged care communities are equipped to deliver safe, respectful, and high-quality care.
Improving transparency and accountability
Transparency and accountability are essential to building trust in the aged care system. The reforms introduce stronger safeguards to ensure providers deliver care that meets clearly defined quality standards.
This includes strengthened quality and safety standards, improved regulatory oversight, and greater public transparency through tools such as provider ratings and clearer reporting requirements. These measures help families make informed decisions when choosing aged care services and provide greater visibility into the quality of care being delivered.
The establishment of independent oversight mechanisms, including enhanced complaints processes, ensures concerns can be addressed more effectively and transparently. These changes help create a system where quality is visible, standards are enforced, and older Australians and their families can feel confident in the care they receive.
Expected outcomes of the aged care reforms
The aged care reforms represent a once-in-a-generation transformation of Australia’s aged care system. Their purpose is not only to address existing challenges, but to build a stronger, more responsive system capable of supporting future generations.
The expected outcomes extend beyond structural improvements. They are designed to enhance the lived experience of older Australians and provide greater reassurance, confidence and options for families.
Greater independence and choice
One of the most important outcomes of the reforms is giving older Australians greater control over their care. By introducing more flexible programs like Support at Home and strengthening person-centred care principles, the system is better equipped to adapt to each individual’s needs.
This means people can access services that support their independence, maintain their routines, and preserve their sense of identity and autonomy. Being able to remain at home longer, or receive care tailored to personal preferences, can have a profound impact on wellbeing, confidence, and emotional security. For families, this also provides reassurance that their loved one’s care reflects who they are as a person – not just their clinical needs.
Higher and more consistent care quality
The reforms introduce stronger quality standards, improved workforce training, and clearer accountability requirements. These changes help ensure care is delivered consistently across all settings, whether at home or in residential care.
This improves safety, reliability, and overall care outcomes. Older Australians can feel confident that care providers are held to high standards, and families can trust that their loved ones are receiving compassionate, professional support. Consistent quality also helps reduce risks and supports better long-term health and wellbeing.
Easier access to care and support
Navigating aged care has historically been complex. The reforms aim to simplify access by streamlining programs, improving assessment processes, and making information easier to understand.
This helps reduce delays and ensures people can access care when they need it most. Early access to support can help prevent health decline, reduce hospitalisations, and support people to maintain independence for longer. Simpler access also reduces stress for families, allowing them to focus on supporting their loved one rather than navigating complex systems.
Greater transparency and oversight
By improving transparency, strengthening oversight, and providing clearer information, the reforms help build trust in the aged care system. Families can make more informed decisions, compare providers more easily, and feel confident in the quality and accountability of services. This transparency helps ensure the system operates fairly and consistently.
A system centred on dignity and wellbeing
Perhaps the single most significant outcome of the reforms is the shift toward a system built around dignity, respect, and individual wellbeing. Care is no longer defined solely by services or funding structures, but by how well it supports each person’s quality of life, independence, and sense of self. This human-centred approach recognises that aged care is about supporting people to live well, not simply managing practical care needs.
A stronger and more sustainable system
The reforms also ensure the aged care system remains sustainable as Australia’s population continues to age. By strengthening workforce support, improving funding structures, and increasing accountability, the system is better equipped to meet future demand. This helps ensure aged care services remain available, accessible, and effective for generations to come.
What these changes mean for you
For older Australians and their families, these reforms represent meaningful and positive change. They are designed to make aged care easier to access, more flexible, and better aligned with individual needs and preferences.
If you are currently receiving care, you may benefit from improved flexibility, stronger protections, and clearer information about your options. If you are planning for future care, the reforms provide reassurance that the system is evolving to better support your independence, dignity, and wellbeing.
These changes also help ensure care can adapt as your needs change over time, providing continuity, stability, and peace of mind.
How Anglicare Southern Queensland can support
Navigating aged care changes can feel complex, particularly when decisions involve your wellbeing or the wellbeing of someone you love. You don’t have to navigate this alone. We’re here to provide experienced, compassionate support to help you understand your options and access the care that is right for you.
We offer:
- Personalised guidance tailored to your circumstances
- Support understanding funding, eligibility, and available programs
- Assistance accessing home care and residential care services
- Ongoing care that evolves as your needs change.
Our team takes the time to understand your individual goals, preferences, and concerns, ensuring you feel informed, supported, and confident in your decisions.
You can learn more about how we support people through the aged care reforms at Anglicare Southern Queensland.
Where to learn more
Understanding aged care reforms is an important step in planning your future care or supporting a loved one. Whether you need support now or are planning ahead, Anglicare Southern Queensland is here to help.
Our experienced team can explain your options, guide you through available funding and services, and help you access care that supports your independence, safety, and quality of life.
Aged care should provide reassurance, comfort, and dignity. These reforms are helping make that vision a reality – and we’re here to support you every step of the way.