Aged Care Whistleblowing in Australia: What Changes in November 2025

By 2050, one in four Australians will be over 65. Demand is already accelerating; an additional 42,000 people will need aged care by 2030, rising to 194,000 by 2040. As pressure on the sector intensifies, so does the urgency to surface problems early - before they escalate into harm.

In 2021, The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety identified fear of reprisal as a systemic barrier preventing workers and families from speaking up about poor care: "It is a sad fact that many older people, their families and care workers are reluctant to speak up about the quality and safety of care because of the fear of reprisal from providers or their staff members." 

The Aged Care Act 2024 set out to build a system that listens and this month marks that shift. By 1 November 2025, safe reporting channels within Australia’s aged care services are no longer optional - they’re a condition of registration.

What’s Changed

The Royal Commission found that aged care legislation was no longer fit for purpose, structured as it was around providers and funding, rather than around the people accessing services. The new rights-based Act fundamentally reshapes whistleblowing in aged care, putting older people at the centre.

For Providers

Section 165 requires every registered provider to have a formal whistleblowing system and policy in place. Whistleblowing now integrates with complaints and incident management systems and providers must offer secure, anonymous reporting channels, whether a whistleblower hotline, digital platform or other compliant mechanism.

For Older People and Those Who Care For Them

The definition of who can disclose has expanded significantly beyond employees to include residents, families, advocates, contractors, officers and governing body members. A Statement of Rights ensures older people can raise concerns without fear of reprisal. Anonymity is now protected, with strengthened confidentiality requirements under sections 547–550, as well as civil and criminal penalties for breaches.

What This Means in Practice

The new Act aims to make aged care safer, fairer and more respectful. Effective whistleblowing systems are essential to that vision, transforming care culture by encouraging transparency and ensuring leaders are alerted to issues before they cause harm.

To meet the new standards, providers need:

• A whistleblowing policy accessible to all potential disclosers
• Secure, confidential reporting channels (including anonymous options)
• Training programs for staff and leaders
• Integration with complaints and quality systems
• Protections against victimisation

Why This Matters for Leadership

The reforms also mark a cultural turning point. Directors and officers defined as “responsible persons” now face personal liability for upholding whistleblower protections, including civil penalties up to $165,000 for serious breaches. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can issue banning orders and conduct unannounced facility searches.

Sections 165, 537 and 554 make whistleblower systems, policies and training mandatory - with regulatory penalties, reputational damage and potential loss of registration for providers who fail to comply.

These regulatory changes signal a clear priority for Australia’s aged care sector: creating safety for whistleblowers creates safety for everyone.

The Solution: A comprehensive and agile whistleblower and  complaints management system that provides the following: 

• Awareness guides, assessment surveys and training programs for improving education and understanding of how whistleblowing,  complaints management and incident systems need to coordinate with each other. 
• User-friendly compliant policy templates and benchmarking tools that provide detailed guidance on key role descriptions, escalation steps and well designed definitions for triage, discloser and disclosure management. 
• A safe and agile reporting channel that enables the person to report anonymously and the organisation to not only meet its regulatory obligations but have a solution that can adapt to the needs of the aged care practical requirements.

Veremark provides end-to-end whistleblowing solutions: secure technology platforms that enable safe, confidential reporting, expert triage and case management for complex disclosures, program design, communication strategies, training and awareness programs and tailored advice on whistleblowing and broader conduct management.

Explore veremark.com/whistleblowing to see how we support aged care providers in building compliant, culture-enhancing whistleblowing systems.

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