The new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program commenced on 1 November 2025. As an aged care provider, Catholic Healthcare is committed to keeping our residents, clients, families and carers informed about ongoing changes to aged care. We are here to guide you through what the Aged Care Act means and how it affects the services you or your loved ones receive.
Key updates you should know (last updated 30 October 2025)
3. Changes to Residential Aged Care
Australian Government resources about the Aged Care Act
Plain language fact sheet Summary of amendments to the new Aged Care Act Translating and interpreting services1. The new Aged Care Act
Key points include:
- A rights-based Aged Care Act for older people. Watch the video
- A statement of rights for older people Statement of Rights | Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- Strengthened standards governing the provision of care and services. Read more What’s Changed in the New Aged Care Quality Standards
- A Statement of Principles to ensure every resident receives person-centred, safe, equitable, and respectful care that supports independence, dignity, and advocacy. Watch the video
- New complaints arrangements. Read Catholic Healthcare’s updated policy here
- The new Support at Home program for those accessing government-funded home care services
- Changes to funding for some older persons particularly those starting to access care and services after 1 November 2025. Visit the My Aged Care website to learn about aged care funding. Use the aged-care-home fee estimator to see how much you may pay for care in an aged care home.
- The ability for older persons to nominate one or more people to support them in their interactions with Government.
2. Support at Home program
Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages (HCP) program and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme on 1 November 2025. The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) will become part of Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
The Support at Home program is designed to help more than 1.4 million older Australians stay independent at home for longer.
Key features include:
- An increase from four to eight levels of funding, ranging from $11,000 to $78,000 per year.
- Quarterly funding and budgets available for three categories of services: Clinical Care (e.g. nursing and physiotherapy), Independence (e.g., help with showering, getting dressed or taking medication), and Everyday Living (e.g., cleaning, gardening and meal preparation).
- Contributions vary depending on your situation and services. Use the Support at Home fee estimator to see how much you may pay towards services in your own home.
- The program includes new funding streams designed to provide more comprehensive and flexible support. These include:
- Short-Term Restorative Care: Offers up to 12 weeks of intensive allied health support to help restore or maintain function.
- End-of-Life Care: Provides tailored support for individuals in their final stages of life.
- AT-HM Scheme: Allows upfront access to assistive technology and home modifications without needing to save package funds.
- A webinar on 'Support at Home program update for older people, families and carers' was held on 3 April 2025. The webinar recording and slides are now published here.
Those clients already on a Home Care Package or in the national queue for a Home Care Package as of 12 September 2024 are protected by ‘no worse off’ provisions. This means they are protected from being financially disadvantaged by the change. People entering the queue after 12 September 2024 are subject to means testing, which determines any contributions they may need to make.
3. Changes to Residential Aged Care
If you’re living in or move permanently into an aged care home on or before 31 October 2025, your current residential and accommodation payment arrangements will stay the same while you remain in care. For those entering Residential Aged Care after 1 November 2025, there are changes including:
- Some older persons will be required to make more contributions toward their care and services called Hotelling Contribution and Non-Clinical Care Contribution. This will depend on whether the older person can afford it. This is determined by means tested assessment through Services Australia. Use the aged care home fee estimator to see what you may pay.
- Learn more about the changes to aged care funding on the My Aged Care website.
Other changes include:
- Room prices up to $750,000 no longer require Government approval
- The maximum amount you will be asked to pay is capped. From 1 July 2025, the maximum advertised room price cap increased to $758,627 and is indexed annually.
- Since 1 November 2025, providers may retain up to 2% of the RAD each year (for a maximum of 5 years).
- DAPs are indexed twice yearly in line with CPI
These updates support continued quality improvements and growth in aged care homes to meet future demand.
4. Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards
The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards enhance safety, dignity, and quality of life for aged care recipients. They focus on seven key areas: the individual, the organisation, care and services, the environment, clinical care, food and nutrition, and feedback and complaints. These Standards ensure older Australians receive care with dignity and respect, supported by a robust regulatory framework that promotes transparency and accountability.
5. Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders
As part of the national aged care reforms, the Australian Government has introduced the Elder Care Support (ECS) Program in partnership with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). This program is designed to support older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families, and carers in navigating the aged care system. ECS facilitators are being deployed across urban, regional, and remote communities to provide culturally safe guidance, help individuals access services, and advocate for care that respects cultural preferences. The program forms part of the broader aged care reform agenda and is being rolled out in phases from 2023 to 2026.
Read more: Elder Care Support | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
What happens next?
- Existing Home Care Package clients automatically transitioned to the Support at Home program on 1 November 2025.
- For residential aged care clients, the new contribution rules apply only to people entering residential aged care from 1 November 2025 onwards.
Get more information
For more information or to discuss your situation, please call us on 1800 225 474 or email our dedicated reforms team at reform@chcs.com.au.
You can also click here to follow our Facebook page, where we will be posting the latest updates with information linked on this page.
You can find the history of the aged care reform changes here.
The Department of Health and Aged Care has extensive information about the Aged Care Act available via their website https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act
