Far-reaching impacts advising clients in the human services sector

Over the past year, our lead team has acted for over 21 clients in the Aged Care Royal Commission and over a dozen clients in the Disability Royal Commission. The work has had a significant impact on regulatory and policy settings in the human services sector.

Drawing from the best of the Firm across a range of practice areas and jurisdictions, the logistics of running two royal commissions concurrently was challenging, but equally rewarding.

The team leveraged lessons learned from the Financial Services Royal Commission; but also charted new ground given the intrinsic nature of the sector in dealing with the human condition, and some of the most vulnerable in our communities.

While COVID-19 gave pause to the Aged Care Royal Commission mid-year, the team swiftly moved into acting for Anglicare, the operator of Newmarch House. Aged care facilities were some of the hardest hit by the pandemic and for Newmarch House in particular, it has been devasting. The team at MinterEllison did all they could to support the client, working 24/7 during peak periods providing extensive support and guidance.

With some of our team having a clinical background in addition to their legal expertise, they were adept at understanding the challenges and pressure points, and could ‘speak the language’ of the sector in a way that had real cut-through and delivered great value.

The work has had, and will continue to have, lasting impacts. The team feels privileged to have contributed to the transformational work in the aged care and disability sectors during such a pivotal time, and is continuing to support our clients as these reforms unfold over the next few years.