Aged Care Reforms Update
Summer 2025

The Australian Government has delivered major changes to aged care creating a high-quality, respectful and sustainable system that meets the needs of older people both now and into the future.

The new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program are now in effect. They include changes to ensure that everyone receives high-quality, person-centred care as they age. A new My Aged Care website has now been launched to make it easier for you to understand, navigate and access the aged care system. If you need support, telephone or face-to-face assistance is available to help you or your family with information about aged care. This includes help with accessing the new MAC website and other specialised assistance.

The new Aged Care Act

The new Aged Care Act 2024 came into effect on 1 November 2025.

The new Act puts the rights of older people at the centre of aged care to make the system safer, fairer and more respectful. These rights are enforceable through a new complaints framework, including an independent Aged Care Complaints Commissioner.

The new Act introduces a Statement of Rights for older people. This includes the right to make your own decisions about your own life and choose a support person to help if you need one.

For more information about the new Aged Care Act, visit health.gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act/about

New Support at Home program

As of 1 November, the new Support at Home program offers improved in-home aged care to help you live at home for longer.

You can now access better services, products, equipment and home modifications so you can remain healthy, active and socially connected to your community.

Based on your aged care assessment and eligibility, you can access an approved list of services. You will be supported to choose the mix of services you can access within your quarterly budget. Under Support at Home, you can access support for:

• clinical care (such as nursing care and allied health services)
• independence (such as help with personal care, transport or access to respite care) 
• everyday tasks (such as cleaning, gardening, shopping or meal preparation).

Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Program will become part of Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.

For more information about Support at Home, visit: MyAgedCare.gov.au/support-home-program

New My Aged Care website

An updated My Aged Care website was launched on 1 November 2025 to support the introduction of the new Aged Care Act. The new website aims to make it easier for you to understand, navigate and access the aged care system.

The website has been redesigned with older people, their families and carers in mind. It improves your online experience in line with the new Act, which puts you at the centre of your aged care.

The new site is simpler to use and is responsive to the needs of the people using it. Whether you are looking at your aged care options for the first time or have ongoing care arrangements in place, the website will help.

It’s designed to support every stage of ageing, with new and enhanced tools to help you figure out what support and services you might be able to get, how to access them and what they might cost. This includes:

• a new Wayfinder tool that asks questions to help you find information for your situation
• an enhanced Help Explorer to help you learn about the care types that are available
• a new personalisation approach through My Guide to Aged Care, checklist and dashboard
• improved provider search and compare with the new Find a provider tool 
• more robust Aged Care Home and Support at Home Fee Estimators for planning and budgeting aged care fees and costs.

We have produced a series of short videos to highlight these new features. The videos will help you feel more confident to use and engage with the tools. Watch our walk-through video to see what’s changed and how you can get started with My Aged Care: youtu.be/6VGSDTU6zHk

Contact My Aged Care

If you need help around the house or are thinking about aged care homes, contacting My Aged Care is the first step. My Aged Care provided information on:

• the types of aged care services available
• how to get an assessment of your needs to identify if you’re eligible for government-funded aged care
• referrals and support to find service providers that can meet your needs
• information on what you might need to pay towards the cost of your care.

Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit: MyAgedCare.gov.au

My Aged Care face-to-face services

Staff in Services Australia service centers can help you or your family with general information about My Aged Care services face-to-face. They can also help connect you with specialised assistance, including referral to an Aged Care Specialist Officer (ACSO) to help you in more detail with aged care matters.

An ACSO can help you by providing in-depth information on the different types of aged care services and financial information about aged care services. They can also assist with checking eligibility for government-funded services and making a referral for an aged care assessment. If you’d like help connecting with local support services or registering support relationships, an ACSO can support with this too.

Contact Services Australia for more information, including about how to book a free appointment:
Visit ServicesAustralia.gov.au/my-aged-care-face-to-face-services or phone 1800 227 475

Help from a care finder

Care finders help older people who need intensive help to access aged care services and other supports in the community. It is a free service for vulnerable people who have no one else who can support them. This includes people who have difficulty communicating because of cognitive or literacy problems, find it difficult to understand information, are reluctant to engage with aged care or government or would be in an unsafe situation if they do not receive services.

To find a list of Care Finders in your area, visit: MyAgedCare.gov.au/ help-care-finder

Elder Care Support

The Elder Care Support workforce helps older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families and carers access aged care services to meet their physical and cultural needs. The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation delivers this program through their partner organisations across the country.

For more information, visit: https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/elder-care-support

Thinking About Aged Care

It can help to start having conversations about aged care for you or your loved ones, even before needing any care or support. Here are some other things you can look into to start thinking about aged care:  

• Sign up to receive EngAged, our monthly newsletter for older people, their families and carers: health.gov.au/aged-care-newsletter-subscribe 
• Visit My Aged Care to find out more about accessing aged care services: MyAgedCare.gov.au
• Talk with us in person at one of the upcoming events around Australia that we’re attending, including: 
  –NSW Seniors Festival Expo : 11-12 March 2026
  –Ageing Well Expo Melbourne : 20-21 March 2026