The Australian Government has announced that the start of the new Aged Care Act will be deferred from 1 July to 1 November 2025 to ensure reforms are delivered effectively. Our CEO, Anna Howard, shares her thoughts below:

“I believe the Government has delayed the implementation of the Act due to the strong message sent by providers directly to the Department and to the Government—that the sector is not ready to implement the very complex new Support at Home program by 1 July. Our peak body, Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA), must also be credited for its strong advocacy on behalf of its members in recent months, highlighting to the Government the enormous pressure the current timeline has placed on service providers.

The Support at Home program will require significant changes to how providers and Government manage the practical administration of the new program. This delay ensures systems will be in place and truly ‘fit for purpose’ by November 1, 2025.

The delay allows us, as service providers, to reflect on the analysis and forecasting we’ve done so far, giving us confidence that the pricing we are considering is both fair and competitive—and that our clients will be no worse off. It also gives lawyers drafting agreements more time to gain a clearer understanding of the legislative requirements, ensuring that our clients’ rights and entitlements are upheld to the letter of the law.

I am extremely proud of the work my team has put in so far to produce what I believe is high-quality information to keep our clients well-informed and up to date with the upcoming changes.

To date, we have held 11 Town Hall information sessions—both online and in person—for our support workers, office staff, and clients, with 2 more scheduled. Foster Davis, Rex Lau, and I have attended every session, and we’ve been joined, when possible, by Amy Joinbee, our In-Home Care Manager, and McKenna Paull, our Copywriter, who has worked diligently to ensure all materials are accurate and up to date. The feedback I’ve received from both employees and clients who have attended has been overwhelmingly positive.

We will continue to communicate with all stakeholders as more information becomes available. November 1 will come quickly, and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure these changes do not cause any unnecessary stress for you, our valued clients.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and my team at MMACG, I wish you all the best and encourage you to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding the changes ahead.”