The new opportunities created by the Aged Care Act’s delay
Published on 6 June 2025

In case you missed it, the new Aged Care Act and Support at Home program will no longer commence next month on 1 July, with the government making the almost last-minute decision to delay both by four months until Saturday, 1 November.
It was a necessary decision after months of advocacy and raised concerns, with providers being herded into major change despite not being fully prepared. Many issues lied with the stop-start information released by the government, with the May election halting progress considerably.
The sector was quick to respond. Earlier in the week, Silverchain Group Chief Executive Dale Fisher AM said aged care reforms should not be rushed as the most important element is the impact on older Australians.
Supporting over 140,000 clients a year with health and aged care services, Ms Fisher told Hello Leaders the delay is essential as it allows the organisation to fully inform and reassure clients about how the changes will affect them.
“Delaying implementation to 1 November means the government can finalise these important details and we can discuss them with our clients to ensure they understand,” Ms Fisher said.
With Silverchain fully focused on its preparation for both Support at Home and the new Aged Care Act, Ms Fisher said the government must continue to prioritise the release of key information so providers can prepare and inform their clients, so each client can understand the impact of the changes.
She added that the original 1 July date was not practical, and the postponement will avoid chaos and confusion for older people, their carers and families, and aged care workers.
“It would have been untenable to proceed with a 1 July implementation without the key information we’re still waiting on. The Government must continue to release key information in the next four to six weeks, and not wait until the delayed implementation is near,” she explained.
“Details on each grandfathered client’s co-contribution requirements must be released and shared with clients and providers in the next six weeks to give these clients comfort as to how their grandfathered co-contributions will work.
“Grandfathered clients who are required to make a co-contribution must have the opportunity to understand how much they will pay for certain services.”

Not the time to lose momentum
Elsewhere, AlayaCare General Manager – Australia, Annette Hili, said the organisation is already working with their clients to adjust to the new goalposts after working through a ‘significant number of changes’ to be ready for 1 July.
However, with 1 November now the focus, she urged the aged care sector to maintain the momentum.
“It was a bit of a mixed reaction when we first heard the news about the Act’s delay because we were all focused on getting things done in time for 1 July. There are some concerns about all the effort that’s gone into getting everyone ready and now needing to reset,” she shared.
“Now we need to step back, but that’s not a bad thing, because it affords people the time to truly understand the changes. This is the biggest win of the delay.
The risk is we lose momentum and come October, we’re exactly where we are today because people start putting their foot on the brake rather than continuing to accelerate forward.”
She said that by remaining focused, providers can take advantage of the extra time to prepare their teams for the reform’s impact, while also fully preparing older people receiving care.
Both facets are equally important to Ms Hili.
“If we lose that momentum, October just becomes June, and we’re here again in four months’ time. Four months sounds like a long time, but I don’t think it is. We need to use that time really well,” she added.
One of the greatest benefits will come in the staff training space. Instead of staff undertaking training linked to the reforms once they have been implemented, staff now have July and August to train before they come into effect.
Ms Hili praised the opportunity to plan and prepare as it will strengthen the possibility of a seamless transition to the new Act and Support at Home program.
Providers can also fully digest the information that’s been released – and continues to be released – while reducing the risk of overwhelming staff and clients with information dumps.

“Hopefully, we can shift the rhetoric and see what opportunities lie ahead with the changes associated with the new rights-based Act and how we can utilise technology to help with the shift,” Ms Hili said.
“Let’s make sure we maximise the value of the extra time we have, rather than sit back for a couple of months. Let’s use this time to engage with staff, and make sure that everyone’s comfortable with what’s coming.
“As for the clients themselves, use this time to support them so they don’t get overwhelmed. Cement the message that their support shouldn’t change and they will have the choice and control to choose what aged care services are best for them.”
What else is the sector saying?
Reactions continue to flood in across the aged care sector, particularly on social media. On Hello Leaders’ LinkedIn, Registered Nurse Senior Program Manager and mental health clinician Ann Gaffney said “Some [providers] will never be ready, these will ask for perpetual delays. How more “ready” do you have to be? Will I be “ready” in November?”
There is a general consensus that the Aged Care Act and all associated rules need to be finalised before providers can truly be ready.
Kim Davis, Corporate Services Manager at Everglow Community Care Links, added “It’s less likely to be a train wreck when it all happens, however it will still be a last minute panic if we don’t have the finalised rules soon.”
Kathy Kirby, Director at Thrive Aged Care Consultants, reinforced that the additional four months of preparation time will allow organisations to embed changes.
“While it can be seen as frustrating, this really is the opportunity to get things right. It will allow people to really embed these changes by ensuring everyone understands the WHY behind the changes and then move onto HOW this looks in practice,” she said.