Watchdog urges human touch to veto aged care decisions

Key points

• The Commonwealth Ombudsman has called for laws to be changed so assessors can override decisions made by an aged care algorithm. The watchdog found the system had produced unfair outcomes for residents and weakened public confidence.
• Ombudsman Iain Anderson said many outcomes were inappropriate and that the department did not fully understand the legal framework it created. The government says an independent review will be released in the first half of 2027.
• Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said the findings showed lessons from robodebt had been ignored.