Health, aged care and disability in 2026: confident in care, exposed on compliance

Health, aged care and disability providers manage complex Awards, shift work and evolving compliance obligations every day, and the compliance ground keeps shifting. Half of providers have found a payroll error, 1 in 3 care sector calls to our advice line are about pay and Award compliance, and wage theft now carries fines of up to $8.25 million for a company. This factsheet breaks down the numbers, the five regulatory changes hitting the sector, and the practical steps to close the gaps.
Guides 24 September, 2026
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Health, aged care and disability in 2026: confident in care, exposed on compliance

What’s inside?

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The numbers that matter:

Payroll errors, the sector’s workers’ compensation claims, which lead every other industry, and why talent remains the top workforce challenge.

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Regulatory changes explained:

The 1 July 2026 Award increase, gender undervaluation pay rises, wage theft criminalisation, and new aged care and NDIS standards.

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Psychosocial safety in focus:

Why emotional demands, trauma exposure and occupational violence carry the same legal weight as physical risks, and why mental health claims keep people off work five times longer.

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Action checklist:

Practical steps for each change, from budgeting for phased pay increases to checking every worker in a risk-assessed role holds a current screening clearance.

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