Australia’s Aged Care Overhaul: What the Aged Care Act 2024 and Support at Home Mean for Older Australians

Australia’s aged care system is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in decades. At the centre of this change is the new Aged Care Act 2024 and the introduction of the Support at Home program – reforms designed to make aged care safer, fairer, more person-centred, and easier to navigate.

These changes aren’t just bureaucratic — they shape how older Australians receive care, how providers operate, and how families engage with the aged care system

What Changed and When?

The Aged Care Act 2024 was passed by the Australian Parliament in November 2024 and came into force on 1 November 2025.
These reforms replace the former framework (largely built under the Aged Care Act 1997) with a modern rights-based model designed around the needs and preferences of older people.
On the same date, the new Support at Home program replaced both the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme.

Putting Older Australians at the Centre

The heart of the Aged Care Act 2024 is a rights-based approach. Unlike the previous system, which focused more on provider funding and regulation, the new law emphasises the rights, dignity, autonomy and aspirations of older Australians receiving care.

Key features include:

A Statement of Rights

Under the new Act, older people accessing government-funded aged care services have a clear set of rights — including to:

Stronger Legal Framework

The Act brings all aged care legislation into a single, updated statute that applies equally to:

Support at Home — A New Way to Receive Care

One of the most tangible parts of the reform is the Support at Home program — a modernised, unified approach to funded in-home care services.

What Support at Home Does

Support at Home replaces older in-home support systems and aims to:

This program includes ongoing support for daily living tasks as well as short-term pathways such as:

Transition From Old Programs

Under Support at Home:

Simplified Assessment

The system now uses a single assessment process, replacing the old Regional Assessment Service (RAS) and Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) pathways for different kinds of support. This makes it easier for older people to enter the system and access services that match their needs.

A New Funding Approach

Under Support at Home:

care is funded across multiple classifications, broadening how support levels are defined.
individuals are supported to spend their allocated budget across three categories of support — clinical care, independence support, and everyday living support — based on their assessed needs.
clinical services like nursing and allied health are fully government funded, but other services may attract participant contributions depending on income and assets.

This model is intended to give older Australians greater choice and control over the type and amount of care they receive, while ensuring watchful oversight of quality and safety.

Stronger Quality Standards and Oversight

Alongside the new Act, strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards took effect from 1 November 2025. These updated standards:

There are seven strengthened standards covering

the individual,
the organisation,
care and services,
the environment,
clinical care,
food and nutrition, and
the broader community experience.

What This Means for Providers and Workers

For providers, the new Act sets out:

Workers also play a central role in delivering the reforms, which aim to create safer, more respectful care environments and support consistent, high-quality care outcomes.

What It Means for Older People and Families

For older Australians and their carers, the reforms aim to:

Conclusion

The Aged Care Act 2024 and the Support at Home program represent a transformational shift in how aged care works in Australia. These reforms mark a move towards a system designed around individual rights, transparency, and responsive, flexible support — whether at home or in residential settings.

Older Australians, families, providers, and workers alike are now part of a more modern, person-centred aged care system that aims to deliver care with dignity, respect and choice.

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