Aged Care (Living Longer Living Better) Act 2013

3. New quality oversight body A new Australian Aged Care Quality Agency replaces the old accreditation body. This agency takes over the job of checking that aged care services meet quality standards.

4. Consumer-focused reforms

• Moves toward a consumer-directed care model — meaning older Australians get more say in what services they receive and how their care budget is spent.
• Expanded list of groups with "special needs" who must be considered when allocating care places, now explicitly including homeless people, care-leavers, parents separated from children by forced adoption, and LGBTI people.

5. Streamlined administration

• Several grants programs (community care grants, flexible care grants, assessment grants, accreditation grants) are abolished.
• The process for providers to challenge government decisions is simplified.
• Government notices no longer need to be published in the official Government Gazette — they can go on the Department's website instead.

6. Mandatory independent review The Minister must arrange an independent public review of how all these changes are working, starting about 3 years after the law takes effect. The review must look at whether wait times for care have improved, whether pricing is fair, and whether vulnerable groups can still access care.

When did it take effect?

The changes rolled out in stages: August 2013, January 2014, and July 2014 — giving providers and the government time to adjust.

Bottom line

If you or a family member uses aged care services, this law affects how much you might pay, who checks the quality of your care, and what rights you have to choose your own services. It represents the most significant restructure of Australian aged care funding and regulation in over a decade.