The new rights-based Aged Care Act underpins positive generational reform in aged care, including vital work to improve access to palliative care. PCA welcomes the Exposure Draft’s inclusion of a right to equitable access to palliative and end-of-life care when required.

The submission raises three priority issues:

1. The need for definitions of, and opportunities to improve wording used to describe, palliative and end-of-life care.
2. The practical implications of the proposed age-based eligibility criteria, for people under 65 with life-limiting illnesses who enter aged care because there are no appropriate non-clinical supports available in other settings.
3. The potentially complex interactions between the new approach to supported decision-making, and existing state and territory legislation.

PCA’s submission makes recommendations about the Exposure Draft’s Key Concepts, Objects, Statements of Rights and Principles, definition of high-quality care, eligibility criteria and approach to supported decision-making.

Download the full submission:

Submission to the New Aged Care Act Exposure Draft