Labor resists widespread calls to ditch 'cruel' aged care funding algorithm

The federal government is resisting widespread calls to abandon the algorithm used to determine funding for aged care support packages. After Four Corners highlighted the tool's workings, the opposition has urged the government to either scrap the algorithm or promptly fix the assessment process. Labor's Shadow Aged Care Minister, Anne Ruston, introduced a bill in the Senate to overhaul the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) and add the possibility of human overrides, but the government has declined to debate the bill.

Despite acknowledging some "confronting" cases, the government maintains that the algorithm leads to consistent outcomes and has only resulted in a small number of review requests. The Greens, Coalition, and crossbenchers have also called for the algorithm to be replaced with one that reinstates human override.