Quick answer: To make an aged care complaint in Australia, contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) directly:
- Phone: 1800 951 822 (free call, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm local time)
- Online: agedcarequality.gov.au/making-complaint
- Post: GPO Box 9848, in your capital city
You do not have to raise your complaint with the provider first. You can complain anonymously. Your care cannot be reduced because you made a complaint. This guide explains the full process, your rights, and when to call an advocate instead.
What Is an Aged Care Complaint?
An aged care complaint is a formal expression of concern about any aspect of an aged care service in Australia, including residential aged care facilities (nursing homes), home care, respite care, or any other government-funded aged care service. Complaints can cover anything from personal care quality and staff behaviour, to fees, food, safety, abuse, or neglect.
Making an aged care complaint is not the same as making a report to the police, starting legal proceedings, or making a formal accusation. It is a structured process that allows concerns to be heard, investigated, and where appropriate, resolved. Most aged care complaints are handled through conciliation and education rather than punishment, with the aim of improving care for the person who raised the concern and for others in the facility or service.
Under the Aged Care Act 2024 and the Statement of Rights, every person receiving aged care has the right to make a complaint without fear of being disadvantaged, and every provider must have a complaints process in place. Making a complaint is not disloyal, difficult, or unreasonable. It is a protected, legally recognised right.
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Who Handles Aged Care Complaints in Australia?
This is one of the most commonly confused points for families and residents. There are two separate bodies that are often conflated, and understanding the difference matters for getting your complaint to the right place quickly.
What Can You Make an Aged Care Complaint About?
Aged care complaints cover a wide range of concerns. There is no minimum threshold of seriousness that must be met before you are entitled to raise a concern. If something doesn’t seem right, it is worth raising. The most common categories of aged care complaints include the following.
Who Can Make an Aged Care Complaint?
Anyone can make an aged care complaint. You do not need to be the person receiving care, and you do not need the provider’s permission or approval. The following people are all entitled to lodge a complaint with the ACQSC:
- The older person receiving care
- A family member or friend of the person in care
- A carer, support person, or advocate
- An aged care worker or staff member
- A community member with a genuine concern
- An anonymous person (the ACQSC accepts complaints where the complainant does not wish to be identified)
Step-by-Step: How to Make an Aged Care Complaint
What Happens After You Lodge an Aged Care Complaint?
Once the ACQSC receives your complaint, the process follows a structured sequence. Understanding what to expect helps reduce the anxiety that can come from not knowing what is happening with your concern.
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement | The ACQSC confirms receipt of your complaint and allocates it to a complaints officer. |
| Initial assessment | The complaint is assessed for seriousness, immediacy, and the most appropriate resolution approach. |
| Resolution approach | Most complaints are resolved through conciliation. The ACQSC facilitates a process between the complainant and provider. More serious complaints may be formally investigated. |
| Provider response | The provider is contacted and asked to respond. Depending on the nature of the complaint, they may be required to provide evidence of actions taken. |
| Outcome | You are informed of the outcome. This may include changes to care practices, provider education, compliance action, or in serious cases, referral to other authorities including police. |
Timeframes vary depending on the complexity of the complaint and the seriousness of the risk. Complaints involving immediate danger to a resident are treated urgently. The ACQSC aims to acknowledge all complaints promptly and will keep you informed of progress where you have chosen to identify yourself.
How to Report a Problem With an Aged Care Service Provider
For families searching specifically for how to report a problem with an aged care service provider, the process is the same as making a complaint: contact the ACQSC on 1800 951 822 or visit agedcarequality.gov.au/making-complaint. The ACQSC’s role specifically includes receiving reports about provider conduct and taking regulatory action where providers are falling short of their obligations under the Aged Care Quality Standards.
If the problem involves a serious incident such as abuse, unexplained absence, unexpected death, or inappropriate restraint, providers themselves are legally required to report this to the ACQSC under the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS). If you believe a serious incident has occurred and the provider has not reported it, you can report this concern to the ACQSC directly.
Can You Make an Aged Care Complaint Anonymously?
Yes. The ACQSC accepts complaints from people who do not wish to be identified. This means the provider will not be told who raised the complaint. The ACQSC’s ability to investigate and resolve the concern may be limited in some anonymous cases because the provider cannot provide a specific response to a named complainant, but the ACQSC may still take regulatory action or conduct a compliance assessment based on the information provided.
If you are concerned about confidentiality, you can discuss your options with the ACQSC when you first call. They can explain exactly what will and will not be disclosed to the provider and help you decide the approach that feels safest.
Your Rights When Making an Aged Care Complaint
Under the Aged Care Act 2024 and the Statement of Rights, every person receiving aged care has a set of clearly defined rights in relation to complaints. These rights apply whether the complaint is made internally to the provider or directly to the ACQSC.
- The right to make a complaint without fear of retribution. A provider cannot reduce care, change staff arrangements, or disadvantage a resident because of a complaint
- The right to have your complaint taken seriously and responded to within a reasonable timeframe
- The right to remain anonymous if you choose
- The right to access an independent advocate at no cost
- The right to an interpreter if English is not your first language
- The right to be informed of the outcome of your complaint where you have identified yourself
- The right to continue receiving quality, respectful care throughout the complaint process
What Is an Aged Care Advocate and Do I Need One?
An aged care advocate is an independent person who supports older Australians and their families to understand their rights, navigate complaints processes, and communicate effectively with providers and regulatory bodies. Advocacy is free and confidential. You do not need to have already made a complaint before accessing an advocate, and you can involve an advocate at any stage of the process.
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free, independent advocacy across Australia. They can be reached on 1800 700 600 or at opan.com.au. OPAN can also assist with complaints to the ACQSC and can attend meetings with providers on your behalf.
Advocacy is particularly valuable when the complainant is the older person themselves and may feel vulnerable or uncertain about speaking up, when language or communication barriers make the process difficult, or when a complaint has already been raised with the provider but not resolved satisfactorily.
What to Do If You Believe Care Is at Immediate Risk
If someone is in immediate danger
Call 000 immediately. Do not wait for a complaints process to protect someone who is at immediate risk of harm.
If the risk is serious but not immediately life-threatening, call the ACQSC on 1800 951 822 and clearly state that you believe the person is at risk. The ACQSC can escalate assessment and take urgent regulatory action where needed.
If the concern involves criminal conduct such as assault, theft, or sexual abuse, contact police as well as the ACQSC. The ACQSC and police operate separately, and a criminal complaint does not replace the need for a regulatory complaint, or vice versa.
How to Make a Complaint About a Nursing Home
The process for making a complaint about a nursing home (residential aged care facility) is identical to the general process above. Contact the ACQSC on 1800 951 822 or lodge online at agedcarequality.gov.au/making-complaint. You can name the specific facility in your complaint, and the ACQSC will contact that provider as part of the resolution process.
If you raised the concern directly with the nursing home and it was not resolved, or if you were told there is no complaints process, or if you were discouraged from making a formal complaint, these are themselves issues worth reporting to the ACQSC. Every approved aged care provider is legally required to have a functioning internal complaints process under the Aged Care Quality Standards.
Frequently Asked Questions: Aged Care Complaints
How do I make an aged care complaint in Australia?
Contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) on 1800 951 822, online at agedcarequality.gov.au/making-complaint, or by post to GPO Box 9848 in your capital city. You do not need to raise the complaint with the provider first. Complaints are free, and you can remain anonymous.
What is the complaints process in aged care?
The complaints process involves lodging a complaint with the ACQSC, which assesses it for seriousness, contacts the provider, and works toward resolution through conciliation, investigation, or compliance action depending on the nature of the complaint. You will be informed of the outcome if you have identified yourself.
Will making a complaint affect my loved one’s care?
No. Providers are legally prohibited from reducing care, disadvantaging a resident, or retaliating in any way because of a complaint. If you believe care has worsened after you made a complaint, this itself must be reported to the ACQSC immediately on 1800 951 822.
What is the difference between My Aged Care and the aged care complaints number?
My Aged Care (1800 200 422) is the gateway for accessing aged care services and assessments. It is not a complaints body. For complaints, contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) on 1800 951 822. These are different organisations with different roles.
Can I make an aged care complaint anonymously?
Yes. The ACQSC accepts anonymous complaints. The provider will not be told who raised the concern. While this may limit the ACQSC’s ability to provide you with an outcome update, the Commission can still take regulatory action based on the information you provide.
What free support is available when making an aged care complaint?
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free, independent aged care advocacy across Australia on 1800 700 600. OPAN advocates can help you understand your rights, prepare your complaint, communicate with providers, and navigate the formal process. Their service is available to anyone concerned about an aged care situation.
A Note on How We Approach Complaints at Superior Care Group
At Superior Care Group, we believe a complaint raised early and handled openly is far better than a concern that goes unspoken. Our two Queensland residences, Wellington Park in Wellington Point, South East Brisbane, and Merrimac Park on the Gold Coast, have each maintained internal complaints processes that we take seriously, not as a formality but as a genuine feedback mechanism.
We welcome questions, feedback, and concerns from residents and families directly, through our leadership team’s open-door policy, which gives families direct access to our management without layers of process. We also make clear to every resident and family that they have the right to contact the ACQSC at any time, with or without speaking to us first, and that doing so will never affect the quality of care they receive.
If you have a concern about a loved one’s care at either of our residences, please reach out directly. We would rather know and address it than have it go unresolved.
Have a Concern About Care? Talk to Us Directly.
We welcome open conversations about care at both our residences.
Wellington Park | Wellington Point, Brisbane South East | (07) 3822 1876
Merrimac Park | Merrimac, Gold Coast | (07) 5618 1111
