On 1 July 2025, the new Aged Care Act will come into effect. This reform is part of a broader effort to create a simpler, rights-based aged care system that puts the wellbeing and safety of older people at its core (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025).
The Act introduces stronger, clearer obligations for providers, particularly when it comes to ensuring their workforce is suitable, qualified, and properly screened. Providers will be responsible for verifying that workers have the right attributes, qualifications, skills, and experience for their roles, along with the necessary clearances and ongoing training (Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, 2025).
Long-Awaited Reforms Finally Coming Into Action
These changes to the Aged Care Act have been in development since early 2023, after the results of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time, “Our government is working to ensure that the aged care system that supports them [older Australians] is stronger now and sustainable into the future.” (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2023)
Since then, the timeline has shown two years of sector-wide consultation, preparation, and policy refinement. Although the original commencement date was July 2024, in late 2023 the government announced a 12-month delay to allow more time for sector readiness. (Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, 2025)
Now, the final Aged Care Quality Standards have been confirmed, and sector guidance has been released to assist providers with meeting screening, governance, and workforce obligations. With the final legislation confirmed and the deadline fast approaching, the window for preparation is closing.
How the 2025 Aged Care Act Will Affect Providers
The new Aged Care Act introduces stronger safeguards to ensure older people receive care from a suitably skilled and vetted workforce (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025). For providers, that means stricter requirements around workforce screening, governance, and ongoing compliance.
Key changes for aged care providers include:
- Stronger workforce protections, including expanded whistleblower safeguards
- Clearer expectations through a new Statement of Rights, outlining what older people can expect from providers and staff
- Mandatory qualifications and suitability for aged care workers, with a focus on relevant skills and experience
- Updated Quality Standards to ensure care is safe, high-quality, and person-centred
- Workforce empowerment via the Statement of Principles, encouraging innovation, participation in governance, and continuous improvement
- Ongoing Code of Conduct compliance for workers, responsible persons, and providers
- Revised screening requirements to confirm worker suitability before employment
The Compliance Gap: Why Many Providers Aren’t Ready
After years of uncertainty and legislative delays, the confirmation of the Aged Care Act’s 1 July 2025 start date has left many providers scrambling to catch up. With reform now concrete, what was once cautious waiting has become a compliance risk.
Recent enforcement activity shows just how exposed the sector is. In January 2025, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission took action against 11 providers for repeatedly failing to meet mandatory care minute targets. Each provider was placed under enforceable undertakings, requiring urgent recruitment of qualified care staff to lift standards (Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, 2025).
Just months later, the Fair Work Ombudsman recovered over $40.5 million in unpaid wages for more than 22,000 aged care workers, uncovering widespread issues with payroll and HR processes across the sector (ANMF, 2025). These findings point to deeper gaps in workforce governance and verification.
Many providers are still relying on fragmented systems to manage compliance. Credentials live in spreadsheets, onboarding is manual, verifying training and background checks at scale is slow and inconsistent. While these challenges are understandable, they are no longer sustainable.
How to Strengthen Your Screening Systems
Here’s three steps you can take to improve your workforce screening practices in preparation for the changes:
- Audit current screening processes: Review how you currently verify police checks, working with vulnerable people clearances, qualifications and training. Identify any gaps, inconsistencies, or manual workarounds that could pose compliance risks.
- Streamline and centralise credential checks: Disparate systems and paper-based records won’t suffice under the new standards. Centralising your workforce data makes it easier to maintain up-to-date records, demonstrate compliance and act quickly when issues arise.
- Choose a partner who understands aged care compliance: Look for a screening provider that offers secure, scalable solutions tailored to the aged care sector. The right partner will help you stay aligned with evolving legislative requirements and reduce administrative burden.
The Importance of Proactive Preparation
The new Aged Care Act is coming into effect in a matter of weeks, so it’s time to review your screening processes, assess your current systems, and address any gaps that could put your organisation at risk.
CVCheck helps aged care providers meet the 2025 compliance standards by verifying and screening workers quickly, securely, and at scale. With a centralised platform tailored to sector requirements, we make it easier to stay ahead of legislative change. Get in touch with our team to find out more.
References:
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. (2025). Commission cracks down on aged care providers failing to meet care minutes. https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/news-publications/media-releases/commission-cracks-down-aged-care-providers-failing-meet-care-minutes
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. (2025). Human resources – Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/providers/quality-standards/human-resources
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. (2025). Provider governance. https://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/for-providers/provider-governance
ANMF. (2025). ANMF backs Fair Work investigation into 20 aged care providers. https://anmj.org.au/anmf-backs-fair-work-investigation-into-20-aged-care-providers
Department of Health and Aged Care. (2025). About the new Aged Care Act. https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act/about
Department of Health and Aged Care. (2025). Worker screening requirements in aged care. https://www.health.gov.au/topics/aged-care-workforce/screening-requirements
Department of Health and Aged Care. (2023). Once-in-a-generation aged care reforms. https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-anika-wells-mp/media/once-in-a-generation-aged-care-reforms
Prime Minister of Australia. (2023). Once-in-a-generation aged care reforms. https://www.pm.gov.au/media/once-generation-aged-care-reforms
