A slide presentation accompanying the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's 7 July 2025 'Digital Transformation for the Aged Care Sector' meeting has detailed questions provided on notice about the sector's digital maturity, raising serious concerns about readiness ahead of the new Aged Care Act on 1 November.

The questions included:

• Does government have a digital strategy for aged care? Government digital strategy in this sector must be disclosed to guide the sector stakeholders.
• Are you suggesting offering the aged care facilities financial support to move to the next level of digital maturity?
• How do we get government commitment and buy-in to be an active participant in a strategy to address all of this (digital maturity)?

A summary of the meeting did not provide any answers, nor provide detail on the 'Q&A and Sector Readiness Discussion' item on the agenda, led by Janine Bennett, Assistant Secretary with the Digital Business and Sector Engagement Branch with the DOHDA.

Tech tops Transition Taskforce's minutes

The Aged Care Transition Taskforce has also placed digital readiness at the top of its summary of its 21 July 2025 meeting.

"Members agreed to revisit the aged care sector’s digital readiness at the next meeting," the summary states.

Gap between promises and what's on the ground 

Roald Versteeg (pictured right), Ageing Australia General Manager Policy and Advocacy, told The Weekly SOURCE, “Providers are working around the clock to be ready for the reforms under the new Aged Care Act.

“We’re hearing that there is a gap between what government departments are saying about system readiness, and what providers are experiencing on the ground.

“Entire software systems need to be upgraded or redesigned by providers and software vendors in order to support the delivery of care under the new Act. We’re still not there, and we need to ensure everyone has everything they need to finalise it."

Roald said Ageing Australia is meeting with members to determine what supports they need and communicating those needs to the DOHDA. Ageing Australia is also talking to software vendors to ensure their systems will be ready for 1 November.

More funding needed for technology

He said the sector needs more funding to implement the necessary technology upgrades.

“We have consistently been told by members that they need more funding for ICT upgrades. Some providers have already spent millions of dollars, at a time when the sector is already struggling financially.”

IT systems will be ready: DOHDA 

A spokesperson for the DOHDA told The Weekly SOURCE, "The required changes to departmental systems supporting the implementation of the Aged Care Act 2024 and the Support at Home program will be ready for 1 November 2025, including upgrades to the Government Provider Management System, Business-to-Government and My Aged Care."

The spokesperson added the DOHDA's risk oversight and quality assurance activities are progressing against the planned staged digital implementation plan which will be delivered into 2026. "Changes planned for release on 1 July will now be combined with changes originally planned for October," they said.