Delay in the Aged Care Act: What It Means for Our Workforce & Sector Stability
As a recruitment professional deeply embedded in Australia’s aged care and health sectors, I’ve been watching the long-awaited Aged Care Act reform process closely. For years now, this legislation has been positioned as a pivotal reset for our industry , setting clearer expectations on care quality, safety, governance, and importantly, workforce capability. But with the Federal Government recently delaying the introduction of the Act, the sector now sits in an uncertain holding pattern. And for those of us tasked with sourcing, building and supporting the workforce that underpins care delivery, this delay presents both immediate challenges and longer-term concerns.
The Workforce Was Already Under Pressure
The aged care workforce has been under significant strain for years. Chronic staff shortages, growing demand for services, increasing complexity of care needs, and rising compliance obligations have all combined to make recruitment and retention more difficult. The promise of a clearer legislative framework through the Aged Care Act was expected to provide the sector with certainty: more defined role expectations, consistent training and credentialing standards, and hopefully a framework that recognised and valued the workforce for the skilled professionals they are.
For recruiters like myself, this would have allowed us to better align candidate pipelines to consistent national expectations. Workforce planning would have become more structured, training pathways more standardised, and career development more transparent for staff entering or progressing through the sector.
The Cost of Uncertainty
This delay prolongs the uncertainty for providers, candidates, and recruiters alike. Many providers are unsure whether to make immediate changes to internal governance, care models, or training investments, knowing that legislative requirements could shift again once the Act is finally passed. For recruitment agencies, this creates a challenge in preparing candidates to meet future standards when those standards remain undefined.
We also face the risk of workforce fatigue. After years of reform discussions, aged care workers on the floor, many of whom we recruit, place, and support have grown frustrated by the stop-start nature of reform. Promises of better wages, safer workloads, and clearer career paths have not yet materialised at the scale many expected. This affects morale, retention and in some cases, candidate supply.
Provider Hesitation Slows Recruitment Pipelines
Many providers are now adopting a “wait and see” approach, which affects recruitment activity. Larger capital decisions, workforce expansion plans, and investment in permanent headcount are in some cases being postponed. Instead, providers are relying on temporary staffing models to maintain flexibility until the new Act’s requirements become clearer. While this has kept agency models busy in the short term, it’s not a sustainable or strategic long-term workforce solution.
From my perspective, the lack of legislative certainty delays providers’ ability to forecast their workforce needs with confidence. As recruiters, we are most effective when we can partner with providers to build tailored pipelines that address future skills gaps, design upskilling programs, and foster retention initiatives. Without clarity, these strategic conversations remain difficult to execute.
Recruitment Is Evolving While We Wait
Despite the delay, recruitment models in aged care are continuing to evolve. Providers are becoming more focused on candidate quality, cultural fit, and long-term engagement strategies rather than purely filling shifts. This shift while positive requires alignment with clear role definitions and sector-wide credentialing standards, which the Act was meant to help address.
At Collarcare, we have continued to invest in candidate education, compliance, and ongoing professional development including the integration of programs like AusMed, Aged Care Passport credentials, and tailored onboarding pathways to prepare our workforce for the higher expectations the new Act will eventually formalise. We’re not waiting for legislation to lift the standard of care or candidate readiness.
What We Need Moving Forward
While delays are frustrating, this period can still be used constructively. Providers, workforce agencies, training organisations, and government bodies must stay proactive:
- Continue to lift standards voluntarily: We should not wait for the Act to tell us what good care looks like.
- Invest in training now: Build capability early, so your workforce is ready when reforms do arrive.
- Prioritise workforce wellbeing: The sector’s ongoing sustainability relies on attracting and retaining skilled, passionate care staff.
- Strengthen partnerships: Providers and recruiters must collaborate closely to manage fluctuating workforce demands while balancing compliance and care quality.
The delay in the Aged Care Act is disappointing, but it does not mean the sector can afford to pause. As a recruitment professional my role remains to help providers navigate this uncertainty, continue building sustainable workforce models, and prepare for the inevitable reforms that will come, whether in six months or two years. Our sector deserves certainty, but more importantly, our residents deserve safe, consistent, and compassionate care delivered by a workforce that feels valued and supported. That responsibility cannot wait.
