YOUR RIGHTS AT PRINCES COURT
UPHOLDING DIGNITY, RESPECT AND CHOICE IN EVERY ASPECT OF CARE
At Princes Court’s Mildura aged care homes and facilities, we believe that every person deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. Whether you live at Princes Court Homes, Princes Court Village, or receive support through Princes Court at Home, your rights are central to the care and services we provide.
The Aged Care Act 2024 introduces a new, legally binding Statement of Rights for older Australians receiving government-funded care.
These rights reinforce what has always guided our approach at Princes Court: excellence in care and lifestyle, and respect for your choices, privacy, and independence.
Our role is to uphold these rights every day – through quality aged care, open communication, and a culture built on integrity and accountability.
Learn More About Your Rights
We’re committed to ensuring every Mildura aged care resident, client, and family member feels informed, empowered, and supported.
The resources below provide practical information about your rights and how Princes Court upholds them across our Homes, Village, and At Home services.
These documents are part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and continuous improvement – ensuring your voice is heard and your rights are always protected.
Aged Care Statement of Rights Summary
The Aged Care Statement of Rights Summary outlines the rights of older people receiving government-funded aged care – including respect, choice, dignity, safety, and access to quality services – in clear, easy-to-understand language.
A New Aged Care Act: For the Rights of Older People
This fact sheet explains how the new Aged Care Act 2024 strengthens the rights of older Australians, placing dignity, safety and choice at the heart of all aged care services in Mildura and beyond.
The Aged Care Act gives the older person:
- Stronger Legal Protections: Your rights are now legally enforceable, providing greater protection and peace of mind than ever before.
- Supported Decision-Making: You can register people of your choice to help you make decisions while maintaining complete control over your life.
- Enhanced Complaints Process: An independent Complaints Commissioner will oversee complaints, making the process more transparent and fairer.
- Better Whistleblower Protections: Stronger protections exist for anyone who speaks up about aged care issues, including residents, families, carers, and staff.
- Clear Standards for Care Workers: The new Code of Conduct for Aged Care sets legally enforceable behavioural standards for all providers, workers, and volunteers, ensuring they support your right to personal choice, dignity and respect while keeping you safe from harm.
Whistleblower Policy
The Whistleblower Policy explains how anyone connected with Princes Court can safely report suspected wrongdoing – and the protections available to them under the law. It outlines what constitutes a whistleblower disclosure, how to make a report, who is eligible for whistleblower protections, and the steps Princes Court takes to ensure confidentiality, fairness and safety throughout the process. This policy supports a strong culture of integrity, accountability and transparency at Princes Court.
Complaints Handling Policy
The Complaints Handling Policy sets out how Mildura aged care recipients, families, carers, staff and stakeholders can raise concerns and how Princes Court manages complaints fairly, promptly and at no cost. It explains what constitutes a complaint, the ways a concern can be raised, how it is recorded and responded to, and what options are available if someone prefers to escalate a matter externally. The policy reflects our commitment to transparency, continuous improvement and providing safe, high-quality services guided by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s best-practice standards.
Feedback & Reporting System
Coming soon… this will house a link to our new Assurance platform once it is live – to allow residents, clients, staff, and families to provide feedback or report concerns safely
Retirement Village Information Statement
The Retirement Village Information Statement provides a clear, standardised overview of Princes Court Village to support informed decision-making. It includes important details about the Mildura retirement village, such as accommodation types, services and facilities, lifestyle and daily living, as well as the costs associated with entering, living in and leaving the village. It also outlines how the village operates, including financial arrangements, contracts and resident rights, allowing prospective residents to compare options and better understand what to expect.
Retirement Village Complaint Dispute Resolution Procedure
The Retirement Village Complaint / Dispute Resolution Procedure outlines how residents of Princes Court Village can raise a concern or resolve a dispute, whether with management or another resident. It explains the different types of complaints, how they can be submitted, how they are recorded and managed, and the steps taken to work toward a resolution. The procedure also sets out residents’ rights to seek support or escalate matters externally if needed, ensuring all concerns are handled fairly, confidentially and in line with legislative requirements under the Retirement Villages Act.
Registered Supporters
Since 1 November 2025, Australia’s aged care system has been undergoing a transformative change with the commencement of the Aged Care Act 2024. One significant change in the new Act is the introduction of Registered Supporters. The registered supporter role is designed to empower older Australians to maintain control over their aged care journey while receiving the support they need to make informed decisions, reinforcing the belief that every older person is presumed to have the ability to make decisions about their care and about their life.
What is a Registered Supporter?
The Aged Care Act embeds supported decision-making as a core right, ensuring that older Australians remain at the centre of all decisions about their care and ensures they can get the support needed to help make those decisions.
Registered supporters assist older people in several important ways:
- Requesting information to help the older person make informed decisions about their care
- Helping them understand options available to them in the aged care system
- Communicating preferences and choices on behalf of the older person, when asked to do so
- Receiving copies of information so they can better support the older person’s decision-making.
A registered supporter does not make decisions for the older person but are there to help older people to make and communicate their own decisions in aged care. Critically, having a registered supporter does not prevent an older person from doing something they can do themselves. The older person remains in control of their care journey.
Who can be a Registered Supporter?
A registered supporter is someone the older person trusts, like a family member or friend. An older person can choose to have more than one registered supporter.
Importantly, becoming a registered supporter does not automatically allow that person to make the decisions for the older person. Someone with formal decision making must have some legal authority to make those decisions, such as a guardianship order or enduring power of attorney. A registered supporter is a support role, not a substitute decision-maker role.
Does an older person need a Registered Supporter?
Not every older person will want or need someone to support them make decisions. Some older people might already feel supported by people they have in their life, such as spouse, children and others, without the need for these people to become registered supporters. However, by registering someone as a supporter through My Aged Care, an older person will be making it clear to aged care providers and workers that there is someone they trust to support them in making decisions.
Transition Arrangements
If the older person had a regular or authorised representative registered in My Aged Care prior to 1 November 2025, then this person will now be known as ‘registered supporters’. To make any changes to support arrangements, do so through My Aged Care at My Aged Care – Support Roles and Relationships.
Resources and Support
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has developed extensive resources to help older people, families, and aged care providers understand the new registered supporter role.
Videos and Visual Resources
- Video: How the new Act puts the rights of older people first – Available in multiple languages and Auslan
- Registered Supporter Resources – Including videos, fact sheets, and training materials
Information and Guidance
- Registered Supporters in Aged Care – Detailed information about the registered supporter role
- About the new rights-based Aged Care Act – Overview of the new Act
- Statement of Rights – Australian Government Fact Sheet
- Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission – Statement of Rights – Detailed information about older person’s rights
- My Aged Care – Support Roles and Relationships – Information about managing support arrangements
- Exploring Aged Care – Comprehensive Guide – Guide to aged care services and rights.
Information about registered supporters and the Statement of Rights is available in many versions:
- Plain English fact sheets for easy understanding
- Easy Read versions with simple language and visual aids
- Multiple languages, including translation functions for six languages other than English and Auslan
- Audio versions and other accessible formats
For further info about registered supporters or any other aspect of the new Aged Care Act:
- Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422
- Visit the Department of Health website at health.gov.au/our-work/aged-care-act
Additional policies and resources will be added as new legislation and resources are introduced.
Our Commitment to You
At Princes Court, your rights are promises we live by. We’re proud to support older people and their families across Sunraysia through care that is transparent, respectful, and built on trust.