The Aged Care Code of Conduct and banning orders

The Aged Care Code of Conduct sets out how registered providers, their responsible persons and Aged Care workers must behave when delivering funded Aged Care. It sits alongside worker screening as a behavioural standard: screening checks who can start, the Code governs how they conduct themselves once working, and banning orders are the enforcement tool when conduct falls short. This guide explains the Code, what a banning order is, and the provider duty to check the register of banned and restricted workers.

What the Code of Conduct expects

The Code of Conduct for Aged Care describes the standard of behaviour expected of registered providers, responsible persons and Aged Care workers, including volunteers. It applies across funded Aged Care services and continued under the Aged Care Act 2024, which commenced on 1 November 2025.

At a high level, the Code requires people to:

• Act with respect for the rights, dignity and autonomy of people accessing care
• Act in a way that is safe, competent and within their skills and training
• Treat people with dignity and respect and value their diversity
• Act with integrity and honesty
• Never engage in physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse, neglect or exploitation
• Take reasonable steps to prevent and respond to violence and abuse
• Provide care in a way that protects the safety, health and wellbeing of older people

The Code is not a one-off training item. It is an ongoing expectation, and providers are responsible for making sure their workforce understands it and behaves accordingly.

What a banning order is

A banning order is an enforcement action that can ban or restrict a current or former provider, responsible person or worker, including volunteers, from being involved in Aged Care. It is made by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner.

A banning order can be permanent or for a fixed period, and it can carry conditions. A condition might restrict the kind of work a person can do, require supervision, or limit the settings they can work in rather than excluding them entirely. Breaching a banning order or its conditions is a serious matter for both the worker and any provider who engages them.

Grounds for a banning order

The Commissioner can make a banning order against a worker or responsible person on grounds including:

• The Commissioner is satisfied the person is not suitable to be involved in the delivery of Aged Care
• The person has not followed, is not following, or is unlikely to follow the Code of Conduct
• There is a severe risk to the safety, health or wellbeing of an older person
• The person is insolvent, or has been convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty

These grounds connect screening, conduct and enforcement. A clear police certificate at the point of hire does not prevent later conduct issues, which is why the Code and the register operate continuously, not just at onboarding.

The register of banned and restricted workers

The Commission maintains a public register of banning orders. It lists individuals, including workers, former workers and responsible persons, who are subject to a current banning order that prohibits or restricts their involvement in Aged Care.

The register is an authoritative government source, so a match against it can be treated as verified at source. This is different from a police certificate or a qualification, which are reviewed documents rather than checks against a live authoritative register.

The provider duty to check

Providers carry the legal obligation here. The Commission expects registered providers to check the register both before engaging a worker or responsible person, and regularly throughout their engagement. In practice this means a provider should:

• Check the register before a worker or responsible person starts, alongside screening
• Re-check the register on a regular, documented schedule for current workers and volunteers
• Watch for new banning orders, and for applications or decisions to vary an existing order against one of their people
• Confirm that any associated provider or labour-hire arrangement has not placed someone who is banned or restricted

Because conduct issues and banning orders can arise at any time, a single check at hire is not enough. A worker who was clear at onboarding could later become subject to an order, so the register needs to be revisited on an ongoing basis and the result recorded.

Consequences for workers

For a worker, a banning order can be career-defining. A permanent order excludes the person from involvement in Aged Care entirely. A time-limited order or one with conditions restricts what they can do and where, and it remains visible on the public register while it is in force. Working in breach of an order, or a provider engaging a banned worker, exposes both parties to enforcement action.

This is why behaviour under the Code matters as much as credentials. A worker can hold every required check and still face a banning order if their conduct breaches the Code or creates a severe risk to an older person.

How Koora fits

Koora gives workers a portable Career Passport and gives providers a current-state view of who is compliant when a report runs. The platform reviews credentials such as police certificates, qualifications and training, and surfaces what is valid, expiring or missing. The banning order register is an authoritative source, so it sits in the verify-at-source category alongside checks like AHPRA and state Working With Children Check portals.

Koora pre-clears credentials and reminds providers when an ongoing check, such as a register review, is due. It does not remove the provider's legal obligation to check the register, sight the evidence and decide who can work. That duty stays with the provider. Koora makes the schedule visible and the records audit-ready, while the provider keeps the rigour and the final call.

To see how this fits the wider screening picture, read the Aged Care Act provider screening checklist, how to keep your workforce compliance tracked as a provider, and how to keep your workforce records audit ready.