Registered Supporters in My Aged Care: How to Help a Parent
By FindMyHelp Editorial Team · Reviewed against official sources on
When a parent starts using aged care, there are phone calls, letters, assessments and provider meetings to deal with. Many families want to help, but find that My Aged Care or a provider can't talk to them without the right permission. The answer is usually to become your parent's registered supporter. Here's what that means and how to set it up.
What is a registered supporter?
Under the new Aged Care Act, older people can choose people to support them to make their own decisions. These people are called registered supporters (My Aged Care – Registering a supporter).
A registered supporter can:
- communicate the person's wishes to My Aged Care, assessors, aged care providers and other organisations
- support them to make decisions, including about assessments, referrals and everyday aged care decisions
- request, access and receive information about them, including updating personal details held by My Aged Care.
Registered supporters can also support the person by talking to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
A supporter can be a family member, friend, carer or anyone the older person trusts. You can have more than one registered supporter (My Aged Care).
What a registered supporter can't do
This is the key point families need to understand. Being a registered supporter doesn't give you decision-making authority. Your role is to help your parent make their own decisions (My Aged Care).
- You must not pressure or force your parent to do anything, including making decisions.
- Your parent can't be pressured into agreeing to register a supporter.
- Having a supporter doesn't stop your parent from getting information, making decisions or speaking for themselves.
What about guardianship or power of attorney?
Some registered supporters also hold guardianship, an enduring power of attorney or similar legal authority. These people are appointed decision-makers, and can make decisions on the person's behalf, but only within their active legal authority under Commonwealth, state or territory arrangements.
My Aged Care can't give anyone decision-making power, and can't change or remove an appointed decision-maker's powers (My Aged Care).
Your duties as a registered supporter
Under the new Aged Care Act, a registered supporter must (My Aged Care):
- act in a way that promotes the person's will, preferences and personal, cultural and social wellbeing
- support them only as much as needed for them to make their own decisions
- do their best to help them keep their ability to make their own decisions
- declare, and avoid or manage, conflicts of interest
- know and understand these duties, including the consequences of not complying.
Supporters must act honestly, diligently and in good faith.
Conflicts of interest
A conflict of interest happens when your own interests could get in the way of acting only on your parent's will and preferences. The page's examples include being:
- an aged care provider or worker who provides services to the person
- someone paid to help them navigate aged care
- someone with a close relationship with an aged care provider
- someone paid to translate for them.
Declaring a conflict doesn't block your application. Talk it through with your parent, explain how you'll manage it, and declare it when you apply. If a conflict comes up later, you must declare it in writing. You can use Part E of the hard copy registration form (My Aged Care).
Do I need legal documents?
Usually not. Most supporter relationships are registered with the consent of both people. If you and your parent both consent, you don't need legal or medical documents (My Aged Care).
If your parent can't consent and you're an active appointed decision-maker (for example, under guardianship or an enduring power of attorney), you may be able to register without their consent. You'll need to provide proof of your authority, which is usually legal documentation. If your authority only becomes active once your parent loses decision-making capacity, you may also need medical evidence.
What's required varies by state and territory, so check the rules where your parent lives.
Statutory declarations are no longer accepted. Before 1 November 2025, My Aged Care accepted statutory declarations for "authorised representatives". That's no longer the case (My Aged Care).
What you'll both need
- Medicare card
- contact details
- for the supporter, details of any conflicts of interest
- legal documents, only if you're registering as an appointed decision-maker without consent.
Ways to register as a supporter
My Aged Care offers several pathways. Some won't suit every situation (My Aged Care).
| Pathway | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Phone together | Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 with your parent. Both of you need Medicare numbers and personal details | Simple cases where you can both be on the call at the same time. May not work if the supporter needs to declare a conflict of interest or provide legal documents, or can't be on the call with you |
| Online form | Fill it in together and sign with e-signature. Then upload it to the Online Account, take it to a Services Australia service centre, give it to an assessor, upload it through Healthdirect, or post it | You can complete it together. May work if the supporter needs to declare a conflict of interest or provide legal documents. May not work if you can't be together to fill it in |
| My Aged Care Online Account | Use the "Support networks" section | You or your parent already has an Online Account (only people registered with My Aged Care have one), and you can't be together, need to declare a conflict of interest, or need to provide legal documents. If only your parent has an account, you complete your part on the printed form |
| Printed form | Download, fill in together, sign, then upload or post it | You prefer paper, can't be together, need to declare a conflict of interest, or need legal documents |
| At the assessment | Ask the assessor to help during the assessment | Your parent's assessment is already booked |
| With an ACSO | Book an Aged Care Specialist Officer on 1800 227 475 (in person or by video) | You'd like face-to-face help |
| While applying for an assessment | Complete Part C of the online assessment application | Your parent hasn't applied for aged care yet |
The postal address is My Aged Care, PO Box 1237, Runaway Bay QLD 4216.
Not sure which pathway to use? My Aged Care has a short "Check your options" questionnaire on the registering a supporter page.
Tip: register while applying
If your parent hasn't applied yet, the easiest option is often to do both at once. The online assessment application includes an optional Part C to register a supporter, which takes about 5 minutes. My Aged Care suggests you complete it together, in the same room at the same time. The application is reviewed before the supporter relationship is registered, and you'll be told the outcome.
Changing or removing a supporter
Your parent can see their registered supporters in the "Support networks" section of their Online Account. They can ask to remove a supporter or register a new one there (My Aged Care).
Practical tips for helping a parent
- Talk first. Ask your parent what kind of help they actually want. It's their decision.
- Agree on how you'll share information among siblings, especially if more than one of you registers.
- Go to the assessment together if you can. See our guide How to Apply for an Aged Care Assessment.
- Think ahead about legal planning, such as enduring powers of attorney and guardianship. These are set up under state and territory law, outside My Aged Care.
- Look after yourself. Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) supports family carers.
Frequently asked questions
What is a registered supporter in My Aged Care?
Someone the older person chooses to help them make and communicate their own decisions about aged care, and to access their information. It could be a family member, friend or carer.
Can a registered supporter make decisions for my parent?
No. A registered supporter supports decisions but doesn't make them. Only an active appointed decision-maker, such as a guardian or attorney under state or territory law, can make decisions, and only within their legal authority.
Do I need power of attorney to be a registered supporter?
No. If you and your parent both consent, you don't need legal documents. Power of attorney or guardianship papers are only needed if you're registering without your parent's consent as an appointed decision-maker.
Can I still use a statutory declaration?
No. My Aged Care stopped accepting statutory declarations for this purpose from 1 November 2025.
Can my parent have more than one registered supporter?
Yes. Your parent can have more than one registered supporter.
How long does registering a supporter take?
The online assessment application, including the optional supporter part, takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The request is then reviewed, and you're told the outcome.
Helping a parent find the right care?
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This guide is general information, not legal advice. For decision-making authority, get advice under your state or territory's laws.