The Aged Care Act

The new 
Aged Care Act

About the new Act

The Aged Care Act 2024 is the foundation of Australia’s aged care system.
It puts you at the centre of care, ensuring services are safe, fair, and respectful. 

The new Act will start from 1 November 2025 and will replace existing legislation, including the current Aged Care Act 1997 and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018. 

Key principles include:
Your rights matter – You have the right to make decisions about your care and life.
Choice and control – You choose who provides your care and how.
Protection and safety – Providers must deliver care free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Culturally safe care – Your identity, culture, and preferences are respected.

The Act aims to:

  • Uphold the rights of older people under the Statement of Rights
  • Ensure fair access to flexible, person-centred care
  • Promote independence, dignity, and social participation
  • Safeguard against mistreatment, neglect, and unsafe practices
  • Provide clear pathways for complaints and feedback
  • Support informed decision-making through education and advocacy
  • Encourage high-quality care through strong regulation and workforce standards.

Who will be affected

The new Act will affect everyone connected to the aged care system, including older people, their families and carers, aged care providers and their workers, the broader care sector and government agencies responsible for supporting, delivering, and overseeing the aged care system.

Find out more about the Act

Statement of Rights

The new Aged Care Act will include a Statement of Rights, outlining the rights that older people will have when accessing aged care services. 

The rights outlined help to ensure that older people and their needs are at the centre of the new aged care system. Access more about the Statement of Rights via the ​fact sheets.

Fact sheets

Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards

Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect in aged care. The Aged Care Quality Standards are a set of requirements that define what good care looks like. They describe the standard of care you can expect from your aged care provider, whether you live in a residential care home or in your own home. 

View the participant fact sheet

Code of Conduct for Aged Care 

The Act incorporates a Code of Conduct for Aged Care which describes how aged care providers, responsible persons, and workers (including volunteers) must behave and treat people receiving aged care. It helps ensure that people can have confidence and trust in the quality and safety of aged care they receive. 

The Code: 

  • supports a person's right to personal choice, dignity and respect
  • promotes kind, honest and respectful behaviour
  • keeps people receiving aged care safe from harm.

Provider responsibilities 

Providers must act in a way that's respectful, kind and consistent with the Code. 

They must also support, equip and prepare aged care workers to comply with the Code. 

Churches of Christ in Queensland upholds the Code with the highest of integrity, a commitment to excellent standards, and dedication to stand up for the Code's values.

Worker responsibilities 

Aged care workers have the most contact with people receiving care. Their behaviour must always help the people they provide care for feel safe and supported. 

They must always act in a way that's respectful, kind and consistent with the Code. 

Responsibilities of governing persons 

Governing persons play an important role as leaders of the provider's organisation. They contribute to how the organisation operates and upholds its responsibilities. Their behaviours must also be consistent with the Code. 

Visit Code of Conduct for Aged Care for more information. 

Whistleblower rights and protections

The new Aged Care Act strengthens protections for whistleblowers - anyone who reports misconduct or breaches of aged care law. These changes ensure older people, their families, carers, and aged care workers can speak up safely and without fear of punishment or unfair treatment.

  • Reports can be made anonymously, in person, by phone, or in writing
  • Reports can be made to:
  • Whistleblowers are protected from legal or professional consequences
  • Identities are kept confidential, unless disclosure is legally required or necessary to prevent serious harm
  • Victimisation is prohibited, with penalties for retaliation
  • Providers must have a whistleblower policy and train staff to handle disclosures appropriately
These protections aim to foster a culture of transparency and accountability across the aged care sector.
Our whistleblower policy

Culturally appropriate care

Churches of Christ honour your background and beliefs. 
This means we'll provide people in our care with:

  • access to interpreters
  • easy read materials
  • respect for cultural practices and preferences

The new Aged Care Act will help to make aged care better for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Statement of Rights recognises that older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a right to access aged care services that are culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed. 

An older person can work through the Statement of Rights with providers as part of their care plan to meet these needs. 
Older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will also have the right to stay connected with their community, Country and Island Home. 

It also recognises that people have the right to have their identity, culture, spirituality and diversity valued and supported. 
More about our values

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