The federal government’s proposed new Aged Care Act hasn’t gone far enough to ensure a sustainable, accountable and high-quality aged care system, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has argued.

In its submission to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee’s Inquiry into the Aged Care Bill 2024, the ANMF says that while it represents long-overdue improvement over the existing Aged Care Act 1997, some “significant omissions remain”, including no direct mention of care minutes and the abandonment of provisions for a Worker Voice.

“It would be disappointing if failure to undertake bold and fearless reform now simply results in the need for another Royal Commission at some point in the future,” the ANMF warns.

The union’s submission identified nearly a dozen omissions within, or relating to, the Bill, and issues not properly addressed in the draft legislation that it believes would further strengthen the sector and benefit older Australians seeking or receiving aged care services, aged care workers, providers, government and regulators.

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