The strengthened Quality Standards Facilitated Session - Providing quality care (Home services)

Overdue Overhaul in Home Care

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, concluded in 2021, laid bare systemic failures in Australia's aged care system, including neglect, abuse, poor clinical care, and inadequate governance. It called for urgent reform, including a new rights-based legislative framework and updated quality standards that were more detailed, measurable, and focused on outcomes for older people rather than provider processes.

In response, Parliament passed the Aged Care Act 2024, which commenced on 1 November 2025 after a delay from an earlier proposed date to allow preparation time. This Act introduced the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards—seven consolidated requirements that apply to all government-funded aged care, including home services (such as home care packages and Commonwealth Home Support Programme services). These standards replace the previous eight standards that operated until 31 October 2025.

For home services specifically, the changes matter because most older Australians prefer to receive care at home rather than in residential facilities. The new standards emphasise person-centred delivery, stronger clinical and governance obligations, and explicit rights protections. Providers must now align operations, train workers, and prepare for audits by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which uses the standards as the basis for registration, compliance monitoring, and enforcement.

The stakes are high. Failure to meet the standards can lead to non-compliance notices, conditions on registration, civil penalties, or revocation of approval to deliver services—potentially leaving vulnerable clients without support. Providers face costs for system upgrades, staff training, and documentation to prove adherence, at a time when workforce shortages persist and operational margins are thin. Audits for new registrations or renewals in relevant categories (including home and community services) now directly assess against these standards, with a three-year transition period for full auditing in residential settings but immediate application for compliance obligations.

Less visible tensions include the balance between ambitious rights-based reforms and practical implementation challenges. Some stakeholders argue the standards, while more objective, still lack sufficient enforceable workforce mandates (such as minimum staffing ratios), potentially limiting their impact on care quality. Others point to the risk that smaller or regional providers, already strained, could struggle more than larger ones, possibly accelerating sector consolidation or service gaps in underserved areas.