28/11/2025
NATSIAACC has made a submission to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission providing feedback on the Draft Fee Waiver Application Form for aged care registration.
As the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ageing and aged care, our submission calls for the fee waiver process to embed cultural safety, self-determination, and community-led governance while reducing unnecessary administrative and financial barriers faced by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and remote aged care providers.
While the fee waiver is intended to support market entry, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations engage with this process within the broader context of aged care reform, Closing the Gap commitments, and the new Aged Care Act 2024. NATSIAACC’s input is critical to ensure that the waiver process strengthens – rather than unintentionally hinders – the sustainability and growth of community-controlled aged care services.
We emphasise that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, equity is achieved when regulatory systems respect community authority, cultural governance and the lived operational realities of delivering care across urban, regional, remote and very remote settings.
Our key recommendations include:
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Explicit alignment of the fee waiver process with Closing the Gap Priority Reform Two – Building the Community-Controlled Sector.
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Broadening eligibility to include existing and emerging ACCOs demonstrating community governance and service delivery capacity.
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Simplifying evidence requirements through attestation and community endorsement pathways.
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Embedding plain-language guidance, culturally safe communication and accessible support mechanisms.
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Establishing consultation protocols with NATSIAACC for ACCO eligibility determinations.
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Developing a co-designed ACCO verification and support framework to streamline future applications and reduce compliance burden.
This submission forms part of NATSIAACC’s ongoing advocacy to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and Older People are supported by a strengthened, culturally safe and sustainable aged care sector that enables self-determination and long-term community control.