Today, the Minister for Aged Care, the Hon Anika Wells MP, announced that the Government had accepted all 32 recommendations of the Report of the Independent Capability Review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Review) delivered by Mr David Tune, AO PSM.

I very much welcome the Government’s response to the Review and its recommendations, which provide a clear direction to strengthen the Commission’s capability, effectiveness and impact as the national regulator of aged care services.

Since our establishment in 2019, the Commission has experienced a rapid expansion of our functions, funding and staffing. The Review has provided a vital checkpoint to assess our current operations, and to consider the resources, workforce and skills required to perform all our functions effectively and efficiently into the future.

The community in general, and older people in particular, have a right to expect that the regulator of aged care will be high performing; successful in holding providers to account and incentivising best practice service delivery. This expectation takes on heightened importance in the context of the major reforms currently being pursued by the Government, including the planned introduction of a new Aged Care Act with a new regulatory model and strengthened Quality Standards.

Implementation of the Review recommendations is well underway, with several recommendations having already been completed. The Commission is responsible for delivering 21 of the recommendations, with another four being delivered in conjunction with the Department of Health and Aged Care, and the balance of seven being the responsibility of the Department.

At this stage, three recommendations have been delivered by the Commission, with a further 11 scheduled for completion this month. This has seen the appointment of the Complaints Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner Sector Capability and Regulatory Strategy, and Deputy Commissioner Corporate to strengthen the Commission’s executive leadership, significant work being undertaken to update our regulatory strategy, comprehensive reviews of our complaints management processes and our handling of serious incident notifications, an accelerated cyber security uplift program, delivery of a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, and an enhanced user-focused website.

Older Australians deserve an aged care system that protects and enhances their safety, health, wellbeing and quality of life. The Commission has a vital role to play in achieving this shared goal. We have been galvanised by the opportunities presented by the Review - both to take stock of where we are, and to continue to strengthen our capabilities as we strive to become a world-class regulator that helps to instil trust and confidence in our aged care system. 

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Media enquiries: media@agedcarequality.gov.au