Aged Care Commissioner breaks silence on HELF

In a rare interview, Liz Hefren-Webb has explained what consumers should expect as standard care in residential aged care and what services may attract additional fees.

Appearing on ABC Radio National’s The Conversation Hour on Monday (13 July), the Commissioner said the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) wants to ensure residents understand their fees and charges, and that consumers receive the services they pay for.

Hefren-Webb drew a clear distinction between standard services and legitimate optional extras than can be charged for under the Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) program, which came into effect with the new Aged Care Act on 1 November 2025.

She said HELF should only cover premium services such as restaurant-style dining, wine with dinner, and lifestyle activities and entertainment.

“Extras really should be for premium style options... or for lifestyle and entertainment type of matters,” she said.

The Commissioner rejected suggestions the rules are uncertain, saying the Department of Health Disability and Ageing’s Residential Care Service List clearly specifies what providers must include as standard care.

These include nutritious meals, snacks, drinks, toiletries, heating and cooling, cleaning and clinical care.

She also provided an important clarification: televisions are not currently included in the Residential Care Service List.

However, she added: “If you were providing TV before 1st November [when the new Aged Care Act came into effect], you should continue providing that.”

Opal HealthCare came under fire earlier this year amid allegations it was trialling new fees and charges, including ‘basic’ packages that excluded free-to-air television in resident rooms.

Class action over additional fees

The Commissioner’s clarifications come after the regulator launched investigations into several residential aged care providers earlier this month, amid concerns some may be charging HELF that are inconsistent with the rules.

For example, one practice under investigation was a provider removing televisions from vacant rooms with the intention of charging new residents to have a television installed.

The interview also follows global law firm Quinn Emanual Urquart & Sullivan’s launch of a class action against private aged care operator Arcare Aged Care just over a week ago.

The class action alleges the operator required residents to accept its Signature Package, a bundle of additional services, as a condition of entry to its facilities, for a daily fee. The allegations were aired aired on Nine's ‘60 Minutes’ program in a segment titled ‘Age of Greed’.

Hefren-Webb clarified that the class action relates to fees and services charged under the previous Aged Care Act and does not relate to HELF.

Since the new Aged Care Act came into effect, aged care operators cannot require residents to sign a HELF agreement as a condition of entering residential care.

Despite the Commissioner’s assurances, there is still significant debate and uncertainty in the aged care sector about what can and cannot be charged for under HELF. Watch this space.