Establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner
Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026
House of Representatives
Senate
Assent
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The government creates an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner to advocate for the needs of Indigenous people in funded aged care
The Commissioner must be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person accepted by their community
The Commissioner can request information or documents to carry out their role
The Commissioner must create a written work plan every financial year after consulting the Aged Care Minister
The Aged Care Minister can give the Commissioner general directions; the Commissioner must follow them
Residential care providers must notify the System Governor if an individual's circumstances change
Elected local government representatives are no longer considered 'responsible persons' for local government aged care providers
The Commonwealth can recover payments made to recipients even if it lacked the specific power to pay them