THE AGED CARE ACT 1997
The Australian Government is responsible for setting aged care policy in Australia.
To raise the standard of care in Aged Care homes and hostels the government brought in changes to the Aged Care Act in 1997 that requires aged care homes (nursing homes and hostels) to become accredited providers of residential aged care services.
To obtain accreditation the homes must meet the standards for quality that are set in the Aged Care Act 1997.