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Background
The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 (ACOLA Bill) introduces a series of technical and editorial amendments to the Aged Care Act 2024, aimed at improving the clarity, accessibility, and usability of the legislation. CHA welcomes these changes, which support aged care providers in navigating the regulatory framework more effectively and delivering high-quality care.
The Aged Care (Accommodation Payment Security) Levy Amendment Bill 2025 makes necessary consequential amendments to the Accommodation Payment Security Levy Act 2006, ensuring its continued functionality under the new legislative framework. These updates maintain the integrity of accommodation payment security arrangements and align the Levy Act with the broader reforms introduced by the Aged Care Act 2024.
These legislative changes are part of a wider transformation of the aged care system, including the introduction of strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and the rollout of the Support at Home program. Collectively, these reforms aim to improve outcomes for older Australians, enhance provider accountability, and ensure long-term system sustainability.
While CHA supports the direction of these reforms, we note the operational complexity involved – particularly in areas such as the ICT transition, workforce readiness, and service delivery. Ongoing concerns remain around price caps, care management limits, and the lack of modelling on consumer behaviour and market dynamics. These factors will significantly influence how effectively providers can meet the needs of older people under the new framework.
CHA continues to advocate for practical implementation support, robust workforce planning, and policy settings that enable providers to deliver care that is responsive, dignified, and sustainable.
