In the first two months after the new Act was enacted, the regulator received 2,553 complaints, with three out of five related to residential aged care.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission recorded a total of 2,553 complaints across the six categories of provider registration during the initial two months of the new Aged Care Act.
This averages to 1,277 complaints per month for November and December 2025. This is an increase over the previous four months, which averaged 1,053 complaints per month, for a total of 4,212. This also accounts for nearly a quarter of the total 10,658 complaints received in 2024-25 (24 percent), which corresponds to an average of 888 complaints per month.
The new Aged Care Act, which came into effect on 1 November 2025, categorizes providers into one or more of the following six registration categories:
- Home and community services
- Assistive technology and home modifications
- Advisory and support services
- Personal and care support in the home or community
- Nursing and transition care
- Residential care.
In the period from November to December 2025, there were 2,553 complaints filed, which included 1,511 related to residential care and 1,002 associated with non-residential aged care.
Aged Care Complaints Rise After Reforms | Care Finding Service1
The statistics for November to December 2025 were provided to Stef Todorov, an advocate for aged care and dementia, who later published the figures on LinkedIn.
Among the 2,553 complaints received during November-December 2025, a considerable number were related to care provision and planning, with 715 complaints associated with residential care and 569 concerning non-residential services.
Aged Care Complaints Rise After Reforms | Care Finding Service2
A total of 566 complaints were recorded concerning fees, charges, and issues related to agreements across all services.
Aged Care Complaints Rise After Reforms | Care Finding Service3
Additionally, there were 272 complaints associated with provider and workforce matters, comprising 158 complaints regarding residential care and 114 related to non-residential services.
Aged Care Complaints Rise After Reforms | Care Finding Service4
In the initial two months following the implementation of the new Act, there has been an increase in residential care complaints, totaling 1,511, in contrast to the last four months under the old Act, which recorded 2,439 complaints. The Sector Performance Report covering July to October 2025 indicates that 1,811 residential complaints were received during the period of July to September 2025, with an additional 628 complaints noted in October 2025.
Aged Care Complaints Rise After Reforms | Care Finding Service5
The predominant source of residential complaints in the quarter was family members or representatives of the care recipients, amounting to 787. Meanwhile, older adults receiving care accounted for 175 complaints.
Aged Care Complaints Rise After Reforms | Care Finding Service6
The leading five complaints associated with residential care are:
- Insufficient staffing levels – 82 complaints
- Medication administration and management issues – 51 complaints
- Communication and consultation with families – 50 complaints
- Conduct and behavior of personnel – 42 complaints
- Prevention of falls and management following falls – 41 complaints.
In the period from July to September 2025, there were 1,276 complaints related to home care, along with an additional 497 complaints in October 2025.
The majority of these home care complaints during the quarter were made by care recipients, numbering 597, while family members or representatives contributed 522 complaints.
Aged Care Complaints Rise After Reforms | Care Finding Service7
The performance report for the period of July to October 2025 is the last one to be presented in this format, as the data type has been modified following the reforms.
The concluding full-year report corresponds to the financial year 2024-25. In total, there were 10,658 complaints received, comprising 6,302 complaints for residential care, 3,848 for the Home Care Package program, and 508 for the Commonwealth Home Support Program. The Sector Performance Report – Quarter 4 (April – June 2025) | Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission