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Commonwealth legislation
This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
These regulations set out the detailed rules for nursing home care in Australia under the National Health Act 1953.
What the regulations cover:
Services nursing homes must provide (Schedule 1A): A detailed list of 22 categories of care ranging from basic accommodation, meals and laundry through to nursing procedures, therapy services, and assistance with daily living activities like bathing and dressing. It specifies exactly what is included (e.g., "three meals per day plus morning tea, afternoon tea and supper") and what is excluded (e.g., "hairdressing" or "intensive, long‑term rehabilitation services").
Adjusted fee government nursing homes (Part 2 & Schedule 5): Lists specific government-owned nursing homes in each State and Territory that charge special adjusted fees, identifying them by name, address and approval number.
Standards Review Panels (Part 4): Establishes independent panels in each State/Territory to monitor nursing home quality. These panels review whether homes meet care standards, investigate complaints, and can recommend enforcement action to the Minister. The regulations detail how panel members are appointed (requiring experience in aged care management, unions, or consumer protection), how they must disclose conflicts of interest, how meetings are conducted (including quorums, voting, and teleconferencing), and strict timelines for completing investigations (usually 28 days).
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Direct links to the current provisions in National Health Regulations 1954.
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View on official registerSourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Medical equipment subsidies (Part 8): Lists prescribed medical aids and equipment that receive government subsidies, including dialysis machines, wheelchairs, insulin pump consumables, stoma appliances and walking aids.
Veterans' Affairs coordination (Part 9): Allows sharing of patient information with the Department of Veterans' Affairs to determine if veterans are eligible for funded nursing home care.
Fees and administration: Sets fees for committee members and interest rates for repayments.
Why it matters: These regulations directly affect anyone receiving or working in aged residential care, establishing the minimum standards of services residents must receive, the process for quality monitoring and enforcement, and the administrative framework for government payments and subsidies.