COTA Australia has today welcomed the new Aged Care Act, which enshrines the basic rights of older Australians, officially becoming law.
The Aged Care Bill was passed through the Senate last week and cleared its final hurdle with the Senate amendments accepted by the House of Representatives today, officially making it law to commence on 1 July 2025.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of COTA Australia – the leading advocacy organisation for older people – Corey Irlam said today marks a turning point in the ongoing battle to stamp out neglect in aged care.
“It’s taken a long time to get here, but we finally have a new Aged Care Act in Australia – one that puts the needs of older people ahead of the needs of providers,” Mr Irlam said.
“Older Australians have been calling for a new rights-based Aged Care Act for a long time, so it’s fantastic to see it finally delivered.
“The Royal Commission into Aged Care that started six years ago recommended a new Aged Care Act was the foundation Australia needed to stop the neglect of older people in aged care. Today we know on 1 July 2025 that foundation will officially be in place.
Mr Irlam said the Aged Care Act contains many crucial elements that will protect the rights of older people, including a robust, independent complaints mechanism, enforceable rights for older people, the right to visitors at all times, clearer hardship protections and a transparent wait times report. However, he stressed that the work to protect the rights of older people isn’t over.
“This isn’t the finish line – it’s the start of the next crucial phase in the push to protect the rights of older people,” Mr Irlam said.
“With the core foundations now in place we will continue to engage in conversations about the transition and the details of subordinate legislation to ensure the new Aged Care Act delivers fair, equitable, affordable, transparent and quality aged care for older people.
“The accommodation pricing review in 2026, the review of the operation of the Act in 2028 and the operation of refundable accommodation deposits by 2030 will all provide official opportunities to consider if aged care is delivering appropriate outcomes for older people, and COTA will be speaking to older people throughout the whole process to ensure it is delivering as it is intended to.
Mr Irlam congratulated Parliamentarians from all parties for the work they’ve done to get the Aged Care Act in place.
“We thank MPs and Senators from all parties, especially those who heard firsthand from older people as part of the Senate inquiry, for putting the rights and needs of older people front and centre throughout these reforms.”
