PENFOLD BACKS HUMAN OVERRIDE BILL TO PUT PEOPLE, NOT ALGORITHMS, BACK IN CHARGE OF AGED CARE ASSESSMENTS

Federal Member for Lyne Alison Penfold MP has backed new Coalition legislation designed to restore common sense to aged care assessments by ensuring qualified professionals, not computer algorithms, make the final decisions about the care older Australians receive.

Ms Penfold said she had heard growing concerns from aged care assessors, older Australians, and their families across Lyne that the Government's assessment tool was too often recommending support packages that did not reflect a person's actual care needs.

"Over recent months, I have heard too many stories from both assessors and people going through the aged care assessment process who believe the support package recommended by the system falls short of what is actually required," Ms Penfold said.

"Many assessors tell me they know a person needs more support than the assessment tool recommends, yet their professional judgement is being overridden by a computer-generated result.

"When families repeatedly tell you that common sense is not matching the outcome, something is clearly wrong."

The Coalition's Aged Care Amendment (Restoring Human Override for Aged Care Needs Assessments) Bill 2026 would give qualified assessors the ability to override decisions generated by the Government's Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) when their professional judgement indicates a person needs a different level of support.

Ms Penfold said technology should assist professionals, not replace them.

"No one is arguing against technology. The problem is when a computer program becomes the final decision-maker instead of the qualified professional sitting across the table from an older Australian and understanding their circumstances.

"Many people are beginning to ask whether the system is being designed to assess needs accurately or whether it is producing outcomes that conveniently reduce the amount of support people receive.

"At the very least, those concerns deserve to be taken seriously."

The legislation follows growing concerns about the operation of the Government's Integrated Assessment Tool, which is used to determine support levels for older Australians seeking aged care services.

Ms Penfold said recent actions by the Albanese Government had raised further questions about the reliability of the assessment system.

"The Government spent months defending the system, yet it has now introduced special exemptions and additional assessment processes that effectively acknowledge problems with the current approach," she said.

"If the assessment tool is getting decisions wrong, older Australians should not be the ones paying the price."

The Coalition's Bill would:

• Restore assessor discretion, allowing qualified assessors to adjust or override an algorithm-generated result where professional judgement indicates a different outcome is appropriate.

• Increase transparency by requiring assessment decisions to explain how the assessment tool was used and how professional judgement contributed to the final decision.

• Allow reassessments for people who believe they have been disadvantaged by an incorrect assessment since 1 November 2025.

Ms Penfold said the changes would help ensure older Australians receive the care and support they need based on their individual circumstances.

"Our parents, grandparents and older Australians deserve an aged care system that puts their needs first.

"This Bill is about restoring trust, transparency and human judgement to a process that has become overly reliant on technology.

"When it comes to aged care, Australians want qualified people making decisions, not an algorithm."

ENDS