Media Release

Ombudsman probe must go further on Aged Care algorithm

Published: Date 15 April 2026

MND Australia has welcomed news that the Commonwealth Ombudsman is investigating complaints about the Government’s Aged Care assessment algorithm, but says the inquiry must go further and examine the system at its core.

The Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), introduced as part of Aged Care reforms, has been the subject of hundreds of complaints and concerns from assessors, families and advocacy organisations.

MND Australia CEO Clare Sullivan said the investigation is an important first step, but risks missing the central issue if it focuses only on complaints rather than the algorithm itself.

“For people living with motor neurone disease, this system is not just flawed. It is causing real harm,” Ms Sullivan said.

Algorithm failing people with MND

MND Australia and the State MND Associations are reporting that the assessment algorithm is driving inappropriate funding and priority decisions under the new Support at Home program.

Critically, the tool does not account for the realities of MND – a rapidly progressing, terminal neurological disease with an average life expectancy of just 27 months from diagnosis.

“The system assesses people based on how they present on one day, not where their condition will be in weeks or months,” Ms Sullivan said.

“At no point are people asked if they have MND or another degenerative disease. That means there is no forward planning for the intensive and fast-changing supports they will inevitably need.”

People living with MND require coordinated multidisciplinary care, assistive technology such as respiratory equipment and communication devices, and home modifications. These are needs that escalate quickly and cannot wait months for reassessment.

No human oversight, no pathway to fix mistakes

MND Australia is particularly concerned that assessors are unable to override the algorithm’s decisions.

In one case, a woman with MND was assessed at a significantly lower funding level than previously approved, despite worsening health. Even after reassessment, she was told the algorithm outcome could not be changed.

“This is a system where human expertise has effectively been sidelined,” Ms Sullivan said.

“Older Australians are being subjected to opaque, automated decisions with no meaningful pathway to challenge or correct them.”

“Our experience nationally is that the IAT is assessing people with MND at every package level despite having the same diagnosis.”

Ombudsman must examine the algorithm itself

MND Australia is urging the Ombudsman to extend its investigation beyond complaints handling to scrutinise the algorithm driving decisions, which the ANZSGM has said is not clinically robust.

“Investigating outcomes without examining the system producing them risks repeating past failures in automated decision-making,” Ms Sullivan said.

“At a minimum, there must be full transparency about how the algorithm works, and assessors must be able to override decisions when they are clearly wrong.”

Call for urgent reform

MND Australia is calling for immediate changes to ensure people with rapidly progressing conditions are not disadvantaged, including:

• Ensure transparency and accountability in the Integrated Assessment Tool
• Allow clinical judgement to override automated decisions
• Prioritise all MND diagnoses as urgent

“Technology should support good decision-making, not replace it,” Ms Sullivan said.

“For people living with MND, delays and inadequate support are not just inconvenient – they are life-limiting."