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Australian Legislation

The New Aged Care
Act 2024 : What it means for your facility.

Australia's Aged Care system has undergone its most significant transformation in decades. The Aged Care Act 2024 came into force on 1 November 2025, here's what every Facility Manager and provider needs to know.

25 Nov 2024 Act passed Parliament
1 Nov 2025 Act came into force
Now Your obligations are active
What Changed

A once-in-a-generation reform

The Aged Care Act 2024 replaces the Aged Care Act 1997 and introduces a rights-based framework that puts older Australians at the centre of the system. It followed the damning findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in 2021.

For providers, the new Act means a new regulatory framework with clear, legally enforceable obligations and significantly stronger enforcement powers for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Executives and board members now face direct personal accountability. Compliance is no longer optional it is embedded in law with serious civil penalties for breaches.

Aged Care compliance
01
Statement of Rights
A new legally enforceable Statement of Rights for older people accessing government-funded aged care services.
02
Strengthened Quality Standards
New Aged Care Quality Standards with higher expectations for safety, dignity and person-centred care.
03
Provider Registration Reform
New provider registration and regulation framework replacing the old approval system.
04
Executive Accountability
Directors and executives held personally liable for failures in their responsibilities. Civil penalties apply.
05
Stronger Enforcement Powers
The Commission can now enter facilities without notice in emergencies and issue banning orders for non-compliant workers.
06
Support at Home Program
New Support at Home program launched alongside the Act, replacing the old home care package model.
Frequently Asked Questions

What Facility Managers are asking

Practical answers to the questions we hear most from Aged Care operators across Australia.

Q When did the new Aged Care Act come into effect?
The Aged Care Act 2024 passed Parliament on 25 November 2024 and came into force on 1 November 2025. All providers operating government-funded aged care services are now subject to its obligations.
Q What is the Statement of Rights?
The Statement of Rights is a new legally enforceable document that outlines the rights of older people accessing funded aged care — including independence, autonomy, privacy, safe and quality care, and the right to raise concerns without fear of reprisal. Providers must now deliver services in line with these rights.
Q Are executives personally liable under the new Act?
Yes. The new Act introduces a "responsible persons duty" which means directors and executives face direct personal accountability for failures in their responsibilities. While criminal sanctions have been removed, serious civil penalties now apply to individuals not just organisations.
Q What are the new Quality Standards?
The Aged Care Act 2024 introduces strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards with higher expectations across safety, dignity, clinical care, and person-centred services. Providers must demonstrate they are meeting these standards continuously not just at audit time.
Q Can the Commission enter my facility without notice?
Yes. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission now has expanded powers to enter aged care facilities without notice in certain emergency situations. They can also issue banning orders to exclude non-compliant workers from the sector.
Q How does the Act affect incident reporting (SIRS)?
The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) has been updated under the new Act. Providers must follow new reporting obligations for reportable incidents. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has published a quick guide to changes from 1 November 2025.
Q Do I need to update my care agreements?
Yes. Providers must vary existing home care and residential care agreements or enter into new ones to ensure compliance with the Aged Care Rules 2025. Existing home care agreements automatically become "service agreements" under the new Support at Home program.
Q What is the Code of Conduct under the new Act?
The Aged Care Act 2024 includes a strengthened Code of Conduct for aged care workers and providers. It sets clear expectations about how workers must behave when delivering care and gives the Commission stronger powers to respond when the Code is breached.
Q How does this affect my technology systems?
The Act's emphasis on accountability, real-time safety and audit-readiness means your facility's technology systems play a bigger role than ever. Systems that cannot demonstrate continuous monitoring, incident logging and compliance reporting create regulatory risk for your organisation. RTM Cloud directly addresses this requirement
Q How do I demonstrate continuous compliance?
The Commission expects providers to monitor and evidence compliance continuously not just at audit time. This requires real-time visibility over critical systems, automated incident alerts and the ability to produce historical reporting on demand. RTM Cloud automates this end to end
Q What happens if my nurse call system fails and I didn't know?
Under the new Act, a silent system failure that affects resident safety is a serious compliance breach and one that executive leaders can be personally held accountable for. Proactive monitoring that detects and alerts on system failures before they impact residents is now an essential safeguard. RTM Cloud monitors your nurse call system 24/7
Q Where can I find official information about the new Act?
The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have published extensive resources. Visit agedcarequality.gov.au or health.gov.au for official guidance, fact sheets and provider obligations. and Safety Commission have published extensive resources. Visit agedcarequality.gov.au or health.gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act for official guidance, fact sheets and provider obligations.
How RTM Cloud Helps

Built for the Act's new obligations.

RTM Cloud was already designed around continuous monitoring, accountability and audit-readiness the exact things the new Act demands. Here's how we help your facility stay compliant.

24/7 Continuous Monitoring

RTM Cloud monitors your nurse call, CCTV, access control and critical systems around the clock alerting your team the moment anything shows stress, before it becomes a safety incident or compliance breach.

Audit-Ready Compliance Reporting

Generate complete, timestamped compliance reports instantly no manual data collection, no scrambling before an audit visit. Every event logged, every incident documented, everything ready on demand.

Incident Response & SIRS Support

Instant alerts the moment a critical system shows a fault giving your team time to respond before an incident escalates. Full historical logs support your SIRS reporting obligations under the new Act.

Multi-Site Visibility

One live dashboard across every site, every system, every moment giving executives and directors the real-time visibility they need to meet their personal accountability obligations under the Act.

24/7 Australian Support

When something goes wrong at 2am, our Australian Response Centre is ready. 98% of issues resolved remotely fast, reliable support that helps you meet your duty of care obligations around the clock.

Proactive Asset Management

Predictive monitoring identifies equipment under stress before it fails reducing unplanned incidents and demonstrating the proactive safeguarding approach the new Quality Standards expect from providers.

See How RTM Cloud Works for Your Facility →
Disclaimer: The information on this page is provided for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Providers should refer to the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025 for their specific legal obligations, or seek independent legal advice. For official resources visit agedcarequality.gov.au or health.gov.au.