After documents leaked to Nine News revealed the Government may be considering delaying implementation of the new Aged Care Act until 2025, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has issued a statement stating the Government will "update the commencement date of the legislation" before the Bill is introduced to the Parliament.
The new Act was due to commence from 1 July 2024, just 12 weeks away.
However, consultation on the Government's 347-page Exposure Draft on the new Act only closed on 8 March 2024.
"We heard strong feedback that the proposed new Aged Care Act is a once in a generation opportunity for systemic reform that we must get right," the Aged Care Minister said.
"The Government is now considering the extensive and valuable feedback to refine and finalise the draft legislation before it is introduced to Parliament.
"We will update the commencement date of the legislation following these updates and before the bill is introduced to the Parliament."
The documents obtained by Nine News state the implementation date of the new laws is 'TBC', with January or July 2025 noted as possible start times.
A new Aged Care Act was a key recommendation of the Aged Care Royal Commission. The Exposure Draft was released in December 2023. Due to concerns about the tight timeframe of consultation, the consultation period for the Draft was extended by three weeks until 8 March.
The Exposure Draft contained large gaps that were expected to be filled following the release of the Aged Care Taskforce's Final Report recommendations. However, to date, the legislation remains incomplete.
