The Business Council of Australia (BCA) welcomes a bipartisan approach to addressing one of the greatest budget challenges to aged care funding and service delivery and broadly supports the Aged Care Bill 2024 (the Bill), noting the rules and regulations have not been released in full.

The Bill should not be seen as an isolated solution to aged care, rather it is one element of the broader reforms which need to improve the broader continuum of care journey across aged care, primary care, acute care, disability, mental health and veterans’ affairs, including the streamlining of regulations and relevant standards.

Further information is required to understand the true implications of the proposed reform, including the rules which will guide implementation.

The Bill requires some amendments to ensure the aged care system can effectively transition to the new arrangements without impacting access to services for older Australians.

The Australian Government and Department of Health and Aged Care should undertake appropriate and extensive consultation with stakeholders on the accompanying rules and regulations to ensure these are fit-for-purpose and reasonable.

A staged approach to implementation over 12 months or longer should be considered due to the complexity and technical requirements needed for implementation.

Read the full submission here.