Unreasonable and unfair: damning investigation criticises Labor’s algorithm-based tool for aged care
News Source
•Mon, 26 Oct 2026 01:00:58 GMT
📰 What Happened
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has found the government's aged care assessment algorithm is unreasonable, unfair and lacks human oversight. Assessors cannot override its decisions, even when they are clearly wrong. The report calls the tool a black box.
The 104-page report says the public was never given a real explanation of how the algorithm turns answers into funding. It also found the department ignored transparency advice from the robodebt royal commission.
🔍 The Backstory
The tool is part of the Integrated Assessment Tool, which sets home care packages for older Australians. Older people were left distressed and short of care, Guardian Australia reported. Documents showed panic in the department before the rollout.
The ombudsman, Iain Anderson, wants the law changed so assessors can fix clearly wrong decisions. He says there are serious legal problems with how people can challenge results they cannot understand.
🎯 Why It Matters
It decides how much help older Australians get at home, so thousands of families could be affected by decisions no one can explain or appeal.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has found the government's aged care assessment algorithm is unreasonable, unfair and lacks human oversight. Assessors cannot override its decisions, even when they are clearly wrong. The report calls the tool a black box.
The 104-page report says the public was never given a real explanation of how the algorithm turns answers into funding. It also found the department ignored transparency advice from the robodebt royal commission.
The tool is part of the Integrated Assessment Tool, which sets home care packages for older Australians. Older people were left distressed and short of care, Guardian Australia reported. Documents showed panic in the department before the rollout.
The ombudsman, Iain Anderson, wants the law changed so assessors can fix clearly wrong decisions. He says there are serious legal problems with how people can challenge results they cannot understand.
It decides how much help older Australians get at home, so thousands of families could be affected by decisions no one can explain or appeal.