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Unreasonable and unfair: damning investigation criticises Labor’s algorithm-based tool for aged care

An algorithm used by the federal government to assess the level of care older Australians are entitled to is unreasonable, unfair and lacks human oversight, according to a damning investigation by the commonwealth ombudsman. The investigation also found transparency recommendations from the robodebt royal commission have been ignored. The legislation must be changed to allow aged care assessors to change clinically incorrect algorithmic decisions themselves, and there are also significant legal issues with the t…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceEvidence: Moderate · 55/100 — Investigative reporting · 1 independent sourceJournalismTRV-2026-2255· cite & verify
Unreasonable and unfair: damning investigation criticises Labor’s algorithm-based tool for aged care

In brief

A 104-page investigation by the commonwealth ombudsman concluded that the federal government's algorithm for deciding the level of home support older Australians receive is unreasonable and unfair. It found assessors are legally barred from changing the funding recommendation, even when it is clinically inappropriate, and that the algorithm's workings are not publicly explained.

The findings matter because the decisions directly affect older people's access to care, and affected people struggle to challenge outcomes they cannot understand. The government has yet to address the legal concerns, and the department's response to the report was not yet available, so it is unclear whether legislation or the algorithm's rules will change.

Main points

  1. The Ombudsman said the Integrated Assessment Tool is a technological black box because no public information explains how inputs become outcomes.
  2. Transparency recommendations from the robodebt royal commission were found not to have been complied with by the department.
  3. The department did not enforce contractual quality controls or verify whether assessors held mandatory clinical qualifications.
  4. The report calls for a comprehensive review of the needs assessment legislation and the rules underpinning the algorithm.

The problem

The Ombudsman found the aged care Integrated Assessment Tool's algorithm cannot be overridden by assessors even when clinically wrong, is opaque, and lacks adequate review pathways and consultation.

The rundown

The investigation followed Guardian Australia reporting that older people were left distressed and without adequate care after being assessed under the mandatory tool. It was triggered in April by concerns raised by the media and the public about support-at-home packages.

Freedom of information documents showed departmental panic, severe clinical distress among frontline assessors and secret IT workarounds when officials realised, just before rollout, that legislation barred human override. The report said earlier trials and consultation related to older versions of the tool and legislation, not the current form.

In July the health and ageing department announced a review process in which assessors can escalate wrong decisions to the department. The Ombudsman said he is concerned this is not adequate because assessors still could not change decisions themselves.

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-10-26

The debate