Aged care in Australia covers services such as retirement homes, home care and community care.
We've developed a series of resources on consumer rights for home care, as part of a national campaign launched by consumer regulators around Australia.
About home care
The funding model for government-funded home care services has changed. For consumers who wish to remain in their homes, there is now more flexibility and choice in your home care arrangement. Most importantly, you now have the right to choose your own home care provider.
Competition and consumer laws apply to home care services just like any other product or service in Australia.
Your consumer rights
Under the Australian Consumer Law, you have consumer rights when buying home care products or services.
As a consumer, you have the right to:
- be treated fairly and not be pressured into signing anything
- be given accurate information before you buy
- cancel a faulty service
- receive a repair, replacement or refund if something goes wrong
- change provider at any time (exit fees may apply).
Consumer resources
Home care – know your consumer rights
A quick reference brochure on consumer rights when using home care services.
The brochure is also available in:
- Arabic | العربية
- Chinese simplified | 简体中文
- Croatian | Hrvatski
- German | Deutsch
- Greek | Ελληνικά
- Hindi | हिन्दी
- Italian | Italiano
- Macedonian | македонски
- Spanish | Español
- Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt
Home care – a guide to your consumer rights. A detailed guide for consumers, families, carers and advocates on how consumer laws apply to home care arrangements.
Where to go for help
If you need help following up on a complaint you have made to a business or home care provider, please contact:
Aged care providers
All home care packages are delivered on a consumer directed care (CDC) basis. CDC gives consumers the ability to choose and change their home care provider. If you provide products and services to a consumer, including those with a government-subsidised Home Care Package, you will need to make sure you are complying with the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, including the Australian Consumer Law. This is in addition to your responsibilities under the Aged Care laws.
To help your customers and meet your legal responsibilities you should:
- give clear, honest and complete information about your home care service
- give customers time to seek advice and make decisions
- make sure agreements are easy to understand and do not include unfair terms
- avoid adopting commission-based business models which might lead to pressure selling.
You should also make sure that your complaints management system is easy for customers to navigate and does not impact their care in any way. Having a good complaints management system will help resolve issues quickly.
Business publication
A detailed guide to your business rights and obligations, including topics such as selling practices, unfair contract terms and how to engage with other businesses.