Minister defends new aged care tool amid rising concerns

Aged Care Minister Sam Rae has defended the government’s new aged care Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), insisting it is fair, accurate and widely misunderstood, even as advocates warn the system is leaving vulnerable older Australians without the support they need.

In an interview with ABC Melbourne Drive on Tuesday, Minister Rae rejected claims that the algorithm‑supported tool is misclassifying people or reducing their care, noting that “less than half a per cent” of the 180,000 assessments completed since November 1 had resulted in a request for review.

But advocates say that figure masks deeper problems.

Aged and Disability Advocacy (ADA) Australia chief Geoff Rowe told Aged Care Insite that the low number of review requests is not evidence of a well‑functioning system, but rather a sign that older people face significant barriers to challenging their assessment.

“Up until recently, if someone wanted a reassessment, they had to know the process, they had to write a letter to a single office in South Australia, and they had to do it within 28 days,” he said.

“Advocates weren’t allowed to write on their behalf. Many people simply missed the deadline because they didn’t realise.”

Mr Rowe said the cohort using aged care services is often described as “the grateful generation”, people reluctant to complain even when their needs aren’t being met.

“There are many people who have not been happy with the outcome, but have just accepted it as their lot,” he said.

Minister Rae repeatedly stressed that the IAT algorithm does not override clinical judgement, saying assessors conduct detailed hours‑long assessments and that the automated component simply applies the Aged Care Rules consistently.

“The rules have to be applied fairly to everybody,” he said.

“This is not a tick‑and‑run exercise.”

He also rejected suggestions that people were being allocated less care under the new system, saying “you can’t go backwards” once a budget level is set.

When confronted with a case where a man’s weekly support hours dropped from 14 to 9.5, the Minister attributed the change to provider pricing adjustments, not the assessment tool.

Not reflecting real needs

Mr Rowe said the feedback from older people that ADA Australia is receiving tells a different story about the assessment tool.

“The feedback we’re getting is that it doesn’t reflect people’s needs, and by and large it’s not reflecting people’s priorities,” he said.

“It almost feels at times like this is a way of filtering people out of the aged care system, rather than asking what support they really need.”

Mr Rowe warned that if older people cannot access adequate support at home, the consequences will be felt across the health and aged care systems.

“When people can’t get the support they need to continue to live at home, we see premature admissions to hospital or residential aged care,” he said.

“Neither is a good outcome for the individual or the taxpayer.”

ADA Australia is calling on the Albanese government to be active in seeking feedback from older Australians and proactive in adjusting the tool now, before problems escalate.

“I’ve been quoted before saying we saw with Robodebt what happens when government doesn’t listen,” he said.

“If the government doesn’t listen and doesn’t act, there is the potential for this to have that same sort of impact on people.”

He said the sector is eager for reform but warned the current rollout risks undermining the intent of the Aged Care Act.

“There’s an opportunity here to get it right, let’s do it.”