Exercise Right for Active Ageing is a national program designed for older Australians over 65. Supported by the Australian Government and managed by Sport Australia, funding from the Move it AUS – Better Ageing Grants Program subsidises 12 group exercise classes.
Move more through affordable exercise classes led by university qualified professionals
Improve your quality of life and overall health
Connect with like-minded people in a fun and friendly setting
The program is open to inactive older Australians over 65. Indigenous Australians who are over 55 can also enrol in the program. You must complete a pre-screening assessment prior to commencing the classes. This can be done over the phone or via video.
Our program is suitable for those:
If you are living with a chronic condition, injury or illness, more information on how exercise can help you is available here.
If you have a lung condition, your Lung Foundation Australia ‘Lungs in Action’ exercise physiology instructor can apply to deliver our program.
Each participant may be eligible for:
Please note, pre-assessments and post-assessments can be done in your home.
To access the government subsidies, we require the following co-payments:
The subsidies only apply 12 classes no matter how long a class you do.
Your final assessment is provided free of charge. An additional one-off payment is also required for your pre-assessment which varies depending on where you live. Please contact your local provider for more information.
Each class will be run by a university qualified Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) or Accredited Exercise Scientist (AES). The classes are delivered either at a physical facility or via an approved Telehealth provider.
The benefits of attending a class run by an accredited exercise professional include:
Alice is a vibrant and now-active 69-year-old who was diagnosed with osteoporosis six years ago. During this time, her GP recommended doing some walking and this ‘should be enough’. Alice became an avid hiker, conquering many hiking trials in Spain. Alice saw some excellent results with this increased physical activity, coupled with drug therapy, where she saw an improvement in her bone mineral density by 17%. However, during this time, Alice’s health journey took a halt when she had to care for her mother (who made it to her 104th birthday!).
Consequently, Alice became inactive due to the demands of caring for her loved ones. After no success joining a group-based gym class, as the exercises were not tailored to her abilities, Alice then joined the BallyCara Burleigh Heads Community Centre group and attended classes as part of the Exercise Right for Active Ageing program. Alice started with an Accredited Exercise Physiologist in January of 2020 and has ‘never looked back’!
The instructors are just so wonderful and really know how to tailor the exercises and make it more relatable to me
Alice has reported to be thoroughly enjoying the structured activity, alongside doing her usual gardening, family time with the grandchildren and travels. Alice loved structured exercise so much after joining the program, she decided to give an osteoporosis-specific, heavy weights class a try. Here, Alice has also excelled and loved learning new movements and having the ability to ‘lift heavy’. Alice is now currently participating in weekly online virtual sessions on Wednesdays, group classes on Thursdays and the osteoporosis-specific, heavy weights class multiple times a week.
‘Exercise & Sports Science Australia project features exercise classes via telehealth’ in Musculoskeletal Australia MSK News – a fortnightly newsletter for people with musculoskeletal conditions (published online October, 2019)
‘Exercise classes via telehealth’ in Partyline – the online magazine of the National Rural Health Alliance, the peak body working to improve health and wellbeing in rural and remote Australia (published online 2 December, 2019)
‘Initiative targets retirement village, community-dwelling seniors’ in Australian Ageing Agenda – a news website for people who work in or around the broad aged services and retirement living sectors (published online 13 December, 2019)
‘Grant for affordable group exercise program extended’ in Australian Ageing Agenda – a news website for people who work in or around the broad aged services and retirement living sectors (published online 3 December, 2020)
‘National exercise project extended for another year’ in Partyline – the online magazine of the National Rural Health Alliance, the peak body working to improve health and wellbeing in rural and remote Australia (published online 10 December, 2020)
For direct information on restrictions in your area you can use the Government restriction checker here. Please note that there is a slight delay from when new restrictions are announced to when they appear on this website.
Your provider will also contact you with updates on their face-to-face or Telehealth class delivery if updated COVID-19 restrictions impact on your classes.
Each provider will run classes slightly differently to ensure they are suitable for everyone, so please contact them directly for more information.
Our university qualified professionals are also subsidised to do pre and post assessments in your home and assist you set up your phone or computer or tablet to do Telehealth classes.
Our provider list is updated regularly to let you know which local classes are being offered in-person and which providers deliver Telehealth classes. To search for a class near you, click here.
No. These subsidised classes are only available to older Australians (aged over 65) and indigenous Australians (aged over 55) who are currently inactive or not meeting the physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes of exercise on most days.
An exercise screening is just a short questionnaire to determine if it’s safe for you to exercise. If there are any red flags, you will be referred to a GP before starting exercise.
The assessment involves five low-intensity tests and a physical activity questionnaire conducted before and after the program. This assessment only takes a few minutes.
The 12 classes can vary depending on the provider, and can range from gym classes, yoga, Pilates, aqua aerobics or clinical classes. Check with providers in your local area to find a class that best suits you.
Participants will only be subsidised for a maximum of one class per week. The provider may have other classes available which can be accessed for a separate fee.
To access the government subsidies, we require the following co-payments:
The subsidies only apply 12 classes no matter how long a class you do. Your final assessment is provided free of charge. An additional one-off payment is also required for your pre-assessment which varies depending on where you live. Please contact your local provider for more information.
You will be eligible for a free post-assessment and the provider will work with you to develop a plan to maintain your activity levels based on your preferences. You may continue in the same class as a full fee-paying participant, join other classes with the provider, or be referred to other community exercise activities and volunteering opportunities.
If you’re unable to make it, you should contact your provider as soon as possible. Each provider will have their own cancellation or postponement policies which will be explained at the beginning of the program.