Aged Care Act 2024 compliance hub

1 November 2025. The Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) replaced the Aged Care Act 1997 on that date, bringing in the rights-based framework, provider registration categories, the statutory duty and the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. Any material still citing 1 July 2025 is out of date.

The Act imposes a duty on registered providers and their 'responsible persons' to ensure the quality and safety of the care they deliver. Breaches can attract civil penalties, and responsible persons carry personal accountability — so board-level governance, clear responsible-person mapping and audit-ready evidence are essential.

The new regulatory model registers each provider into one of six categories by service type and risk: (1) home and community services; (2) assistive technology and home modifications; (3) advisory and support services; (4) personal care and care support in the home or community; (5) nursing and transition care; and (6) residential care. Obligations and the depth of evidence expected scale with your category.

Standards 1-4 (The Person, The Organisation, Care and Services, The Environment) apply to all registered providers. Standard 5 (Clinical Care) applies where clinical care is delivered. Standards 6 (Food and Nutrition) and 7 (The Residential Community) apply to residential aged care. Your registration category and service mix determine the exact set.

SIRS requires providers to prevent, manage and report serious incidents affecting people receiving care. Under the new Act it operates across settings, including home and community care. Providers must run an incident management system and report Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission within statutory timeframes.

The Act puts a Statement of Rights for older people at the centre of the system, and providers must deliver care consistent with it. It also introduces a supporter and supported decision-making framework, replacing older representative arrangements, so that older people are supported to make and communicate their own decisions.

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) is the national regulator. It administers provider registration, monitors compliance with the Strengthened Standards and the statutory duty, applies the strengthened Code of Conduct and worker screening, and enforces SIRS reporting — with civil penalty and regulatory powers under the new Act.