HelloLeaders

03/09/2026

Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is now active across all Australian states and territories. For aged care providers, this means VAD is a national operational reality that requires clear leadership and proactive governance.

Even if an organisation opts out of delivering VAD services, providers can’t legally block external VAD practitioners from visiting residents on-site.

Staff must also understand strict legal communication limits, as VAD discussions can only ever be initiated by the resident.

Managing VAD is about balancing compliance with compassionate, person-centered care. Clear policies are essential to guide frontline teams, protect staff, and respect resident choice.

Read the full story here 👇

With Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) now legislated across every Australian state and territory, aged care leaders face a critical operational shift. Here’s how the legal framework evolved, what you need to plan for, and how to balance compliance with compassion in care.

02/09/2026

Retirement communities are changing, and so are the expectations of the people living in them.

Residents want more transparency, more say in decisions and more support to remain independent as their needs change.

So, what does that mean for the people running these communities?

We spoke with Dr Roger Pallant from the NSW Retirement Village Residents Association about what retirement community leaders need to be planning for now, and why listening to residents needs to be part of that planning.

Read more here 👇

Changing resident expectations, ageing in place and increasingly complex support needs are reshaping retirement living. Dr Roger Pallant of the NSW Retirement Village Residents Association says leaders need to plan for that change and bring residents into the conversation.

01/09/2026

The Fair Work Ombudsman has recovered over $5.6 million in back-pay for nearly 3,600 aged care workers after targeted audits revealed widespread wage underpayments across residential and home care providers.

The underpayments stem from common rostering and administrative errors including incorrect pay rates, broken shift allowances, and unpaid overtime.

On average, affected employees were owed $1,478.

With regulators now launching new investigations into cleaning and catering roles in aged care, workplace compliance remains front and centre for the sector.

👉 Read the full breakdown https://helloleaders.com.au/article/the-5-6-million-payroll-wake-up-call

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s $5.6 million audit recovery exposes a critical governance vulnerability for aged care leaders: basic payroll, rostering, and Award classification errors compound into massive compliance liabilities across large workforces.

31/08/2026

What happens when a country town decides to solve its own aged care problem?

For the past 15 years, the people of Wedderburn in rural Victoria have been working towards a community-run aged care model. They have the land, local fundraising, a detailed business case and a model they believe could work, but they're still waiting for a pathway through the regulatory system.

Whether you agree with their proposal or not, it raises an important question: Are our laws flexible enough to support innovative, community-led solutions in rural Australia?

Is the current system protecting quality, or does it need more flexibility to support regional communities trying to help themselves?

Read the full story 👇

After 15 years of planning, fundraising and refining a financially viable model, one rural Victorian community is still unable to build an aged care facility. Wedderburn’s experience raises broader questions about whether Australia’s regulatory framework can accommodate community-led solutions.

27/08/2026

The next outbreak may not test your infection control, it may test your communication.

Avian influenza is making headlines, but for aged care providers the biggest lesson isn't about the virus itself. It's about what COVID taught us.

Residents don't experience outbreaks through public health announcements. They experience them through conversations with carers, nurses and managers. That's why compassionate, clear communication is just as important as clinical preparedness.

What lessons has your organisation held onto since COVID?

Read the story here 👇

Avian influenza may pose a low immediate risk to aged care, but it offers a timely reminder that outbreak preparedness extends beyond infection control. The lasting lesson from COVID is that compassionate, confident communication is as critical to resident wellbeing as any clinical response.

27/08/2026

Our website has relaunched 🙌

Three years ago we started Hello Leaders because Australia's ageing sector deserved journalism that challenges thinking, celebrates innovation and isn't afraid of the difficult conversations. The questions haven't changed. The place you read them has.

The website has been rebuilt from the ground up - faster search, a cleaner article page, and two new things we've wanted to publish for a long time.

Have a look. Then tell us what's missing 😉

26/08/2026

What makes an entry-level aged care program truly work?

At this week's Invox CHSP National Conference, industry leaders and advocates discussed how to shape the future of the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).

Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald described CHSP as the "glue that holds society together," emphasising that local governance, block funding, and keeping services close to home are vital for older Australians.

While the program has been extended to 2029, providers and advocates are grappling with the challenges of transitioning to more complex systems like Support at Home. The focus now is on creating a streamlined, trusted, and accessible system where clients don't get lost in red tape.

What changes or features do you think are most important for the future of home support care? Let's talk about it 👇

Read the story here:

Australia’s Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) is extended until June 2029, avoiding a planned merger with Support at Home. While the certainty is welcome news, providers now face the crucial challenge of shaping the program’s long-term future.

26/08/2026

She "didn't seem herself." One direct question later, a colleague's life was likely saved.

Aged care staff support people with much higher mental health needs than the wider community, often while carrying heavy workloads themselves. More than half report burnout, and many say they'd leave the sector because of it.

Mental Health First Aid training gives staff the confidence to notice the signs, ask the hard question, and know what to do next. As one participant shared, that training meant knowing exactly what to say when it mattered most.

Read about it here 👉

One direct conversation was enough to help a manager know her colleague was in crisis and keep her safe. As burnout rises across aged care, Mental Health First Aid training is giving staff the confidence to notice, ask and act early.

25/08/2026

If government red tape and easy tropes of ‘for-profit is ‘bad’’ aren't retired, the industry slips further away from landing a sustainable future.

Sharing their recent story, aged care profit reinvestment is a lifeline, shares Mel Argent of Rockpool.

After selling Rockpool 1.0 to Regis for $135 million, Argent and her team are pursuing excellence again. And yet, bringing 700 net new beds has meant an experienced team facing down unnecessary hurdles.

From the need to question compliance indicator measures, to provider registration obstacles, leaders have the opportunity to shape a pathway for new entrants.

The sector, seniors and provider-teams acutely need to attract the best, Argent shares. To do that the stumbling blocks of bureaucracy, rhetoric and ineffective compliance must be examined.

Without the blame-game and with a readiness to adjust, the sector can enter into productivity and growth.

Read the story here 👇

For-profit versus not-for-profit is a detour tension point the industry can’t afford. Mel Argent of Rockpool shares insight for the common goal, removing inefficiencies so that aged care can thrive in Australia. For seniors and staff, all providers and departments must pull towards best.

24/08/2026

53,718 people just vanished from the aged care waitlist. They didn't get their funding — they just stopped being counted.

A Four Corners investigation has found the government changed how the in-home aged care waitlist is calculated, removing people once they start receiving a partial 60% payment instead of their full funding. Some clients have reportedly waited up to five months on that reduced rate, with the missing 40% never backdated.

It's a reminder that the headline number doesn't always tell the whole story.

Read about it here 👇

53,718 people vanished from Australia’s aged care waitlist after a methodology change, removed once interim 60% payments start, not full funding. Providers report clients waiting up to five months, with the missing 40% never backdated.