The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) has quietly released draft registration and accreditation fees on its website, ahead of the new Aged Care Act coming into effect on 1 November 2025.
The list shows “proposed” fees alongside existing charges and confirms they are identical to those outlined in the ACQSC’s April 2025 consultation paper – despite sector feedback that the fees were excessive.
“Viability challenges”
Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson told The Weekly SOURCE they welcomed the early release of the draft fees, but expressed disappointment that concerns raised by the sector had been ignored.
“We are disappointed that the issues we raised regarding the challenges for smaller providers, those operating in regional and rural areas, and providers delivering specialised care for diverse needs groups, were not addressed in the final fees,” he said.
“We will continue to advocate for reconsideration of the proposed fees, to take into account the very real viability challenges faced by these providers.”
Cost recovery in a Government-funded sector
The Commission first floated the new fees in April, arguing they were necessary to ensure “full cost recovery” of regulatory activities under the new Act. At the time, Ageing Australia criticised the model as overly complex and warned it represented a “significant increase” in provider costs.
A consultation report released in July highlighted three major themes from stakeholders:
- concerns that the proposed fees would add financial strain on providers,
- fears that the proposed fee waivers were too limited in scope, and
- frustration that the arrangements – including waiver eligibility criteria – were too difficult to understand.
Public consultation has now closed.
