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Charter of Aged Care Rights

The Charter of Aged Care Rights provides the same rights to all individuals, regardless of the type of Australian Government funded care and services they receive.

The Charter applies to individuals once they start receiving Australian Government funded aged care, including:

  • residential care
  • home care packages
  • flexible care
  • services provided under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program.

Providers have responsibilities to support individuals to understand the new Charter.

Providers must:

  • give the individual a copy of the new Charter signed by the provider
  • assist the individual to understand the Charter 
  • ensure that the individual or their legal representatives have been given a reasonable opportunity to sign a copy of the Charter.

Charter of Aged Care Rights

I have the right to:

  1. safe and high-quality care and services
  2. be treated with dignity and respect
  3. have my identity, culture and diversity valued and supported
  4. live without abuse and neglect
  5. be informed about my care and services in a way I understand
  6. access all information about myself, including information about my rights, care and services
  7. have control over and make choices about my care, and personal and social life, including where the choices involve personal risk
  8. have control over, and make decisions about, the personal aspects of my daily life, financial affairs and possessions
  9. my independence
  10. be listened to and understood
  11. have a person of my choice, including an aged care advocate, support me or speak on my behalf
  12. complain free from reprisal, and to have my complaints dealt with fairly and promptly
  13. personal privacy and to have my personal information protected
  14. exercise my rights without it adversely affecting the way I am treated

To download the Charter of Aged Care Rights, please visit our publications page

To view Charter of Aged Care Rights explainer videos, please visit our videos page