Senior health department officials were in turmoil before the rollout of an algorithm to determine funding packages for older Australians, after discovering legislation had been drafted so rigidly that the tool could not legally be overridden by aged care assessors. Source: The Guardian.
Emails published under freedom of information (FoI) by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing show that, despite assessors long receiving reassurance from the department that they would have powers to change incorrect algorithm decisions, officials realised at the 11th hour this would violate proposed regulations.
It prompted an emergency briefing of the Aged Care Minister Sam Rae and Health Minister Mark Butler just three days before the rollout of the algorithm.
In an email, they were warned by senior department staff that removing the human override function from the aged care assessment tool for support at home (SaH) packages carried risk.
In the email sent on October 29, 2025, three days before the November 1 algorithm rollout, the ministers were told: “There is a risk that this late change in messaging to assessment organisations may not filter through to assessor behaviour.
“In public statements, including responses to media enquiries, the department has regularly indicated that there will be an ability for assessors to override the … classification algorithm recommendation. In accordance with this position, an override functionality has been built into the relevant systems.”
However, the ministers were told the Aged Care Rules 2025 legislation had been drafted in a way that provided “no legal discretion for assessors or assessment delegates to override the recommendation of the algorithm for a SaH classification”.
It meant the manual for using the algorithm and the assessment tool it was part of – known as the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) – needed to be updated ahead of the rollout to make it clear to assessors that they could not override outcomes.
The IAT involves an assessor asking an older person questions about their physical, social and personal circumstances before the algorithm uses this data to determine how much government-funded home support and funding they are eligible to receive.
Shadow aged care minister Anne Ruston said the Coalition had introduced legislation to restore human decision-making to the assessment process and accused Labor from blocking it.
She described it as “a practical, overdue fix that has passed the Senate but remains blocked by Labor from even being debated in the House”.
FULL STORY
Health officials in turmoil over 11th-hour backflip on aged care algorithm override powers, emails reveal (By Melissa Davey, The Guardian)
