This section will keep you up to date with news in the palliative care sector. Please note that the links below were current at the time of posting, however links may become obsolete as websites update their content.
Providers can now use Services Australia's Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP) to manage more administrative functions for Support at Home, residential aged care and transition care, including:
The Prime Minister address to the nation regarding fuel supply and cost pressures caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The National Fuel Security Plan is in place to respond to the impacts to the aged care providers services and workers, particularly in regional areas.
For aged care providers Providers experiencing immediate service impacts can contact their local Department of Health, Disability and Ageing network office for support:
Support for older people receiving aged care Please contact My Aged Care for assistance on 1800 200 422 for any support.
caring@home will launch a tailored suite of resources for care workers supporting the Support at Home program in June 2026.
These adapted resources are designed to equip care workers with the knowledge and confidence to support people at the end of life, as well as their families, in a home setting.
IHACPA has released the consultation paper on the pricing framework for Support at Home services. They are seeking feedback and comments from providers and workforce, participants, families and carers and any with an interest in aged care. The focus for feedback for this consultation includes enhancing future cost collections to better support participation, understanding cost pressures and supporting data, and the differences in provider cost pressures between the Commonwealth Home Support Program and Support at Home. Submissions are open until 5pm AEST Friday 10 April 2026.
The Inspector-General of Aged Care’s report notes that while current reforms are positive, they have not delivered the level of change recommended by the Royal Commission. More work remains to be done.
The experiences of older people living in aged care provide important insights into the quality of services they access. The Residents’ Experience Survey (formerly known as the Consumer Experience Interviews) enables residents to share their views on the quality of care and services they receive.
The 2026 survey is now underway, with at least 20% of residents in each aged care home randomly selected to participate. The feedback collected supports service improvement and contributes to an aged care home’s Star Rating, helping older people and their families make informed choices.
This plan gives an overview of the resources, grouped by topic, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has published to help the aged care sector prepare for the new Aged Care Act.
The University of South Australia is seeking interest from residential aged care providers to participate in a 12-week pilot study (commencing in early 2026). It will test the feasibility and usability of a series of medication management quality indicators from the PHARMA-Care National Quality Framework (4.86MB pdf) that has been recently launched. Residential aged care homes that have the residential medication management review (RMMR) or the on-site pharmacist (ACOP) model are eligible to participate. Participating aged care homes will be provided with training, resources and ongoing support. Remuneration will be offered to RACHs for participation. Feedback from RACHs through the pilot will help ensure the indicators are effective in improving medication safety and quality in aged care settings. For more information about the project and to express interest in participating, please visit the PHARMA-Care project website or contact A/Prof Janet Sluggett (project lead) via email: ALH-PHARMA-Care@unisa.edu.au.
Please send your expression of interest by Friday 19 December 2025.
The Dementia in Australia report captures the latest data and information on dementia in Australia. The report shows that there were around 425,000 people living with dementia in Australia in 2024, equivalent to 16 people with dementia per 1,000 Australians. The number of people living with dementia is expected to more than double to over 1 million by 2065 due to Australia’s growing and ageing population. In 2023, dementia was the leading cause of death in Australia, with 17,400 deaths (or 9.5% of all deaths), an increase from 8,500 deaths in 2009.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released new support documents to help providers as they transition to the new aged care system. The following documents have been released