OLDER Australians could soon have greater protection against automated aged care decisions after the Senate passed a Coalition-backed Bill aimed at restoring human oversight to the assessment process.
Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace has welcomed the passage of the Aged Care Amendment (Restoring Human Override for Aged Care Needs Assessments) Bill 2026, saying decisions about a person’s care should be made by qualified professionals rather than computer algorithms.
The Bill, introduced by Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Senator Anne Ruston, would require a human assessor to have the final say on aged care needs assessments.
Mr Wallace said his office had received a growing number of requests for assistance from seniors struggling to access the support they needed to remain living independently at home.
He said concerns had increased since the Integrated Assessment Tool was introduced in November 2025, claiming many older Australians had been disadvantaged by the system.
The Bill passed the Senate with the support of the Greens, Senator David Pocock and One Nation, and will now be considered by the House of Representatives.
Mr Wallace has urged the Government to bring the legislation on for debate, saying older Australians deserve the certainty of human judgement in decisions affecting their care.
