Ageing Australia has welcomed bipartisan progress on aged care legislation that will establish a permanent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and introduce an escalation pathway for incorrect aged care assessments, alongside a commitment to an independent review of the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), following sustained advocacy by Ageing Australia and its members.
Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson thanked both the Government and the Opposition for working constructively to progress the legislation.
“I want to thank all of the Senators from across the parliament who worked with us and listened to the significant concerns of our members with the current situation,” Mr Symondson said.
“We particularly welcome the establishment of a permanent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner. This is an important step towards ensuring the voices of First Nations elders are heard and that aged care services are culturally safe and responsive to their needs.”
Mr Symondson said serious problems with the IAT continued to result in older Australians receiving assessments that did not reflect their care needs.
“Providers tell us every day about incorrect assessment outcomes which means older people receive less support than what they need. That has to stop.
“Many older Australians are already waiting far too long to receive funded care. When an assessment gets their needs wrong, they can end up waiting even longer for the care they desperately need.
“We’ve been clear that while a Department-led escalation process is a good start, it cannot be the end of the journey. We need to examine the algorithm itself and use what we learn to fix the underlying problems.”
Following sustained advocacy by Ageing Australia, the legislation provides for an interim escalation pathway, with a 12-month sunset provision which ensures the Government must deliver a permanent solution in that time. The Government has also committed to an independent, clinically informed review of the IAT, reporting in the first half of 2027.
“This is a significant response to the strong case Ageing Australia and our members have made. It’s incredibly encouraging to see our advocacy delivering results like this,” Mr Symondson said.
“The review, something the sector has called for since the very start of these reforms, gives us the opportunity to fix the problems at their source, rather than simply correcting poor assessment decisions after they’ve been made.
“Now we need to make sure it leads to lasting improvements, so older Australians get assessments that reflect their needs. Only then can we ensure they can be supported to live independently for as long as possible, as they deserve.”
