Damning probe finds Labor's aged care algorithm unfair, lacks oversight

A damning investigation by the Commonwealth Ombudsman has found that an algorithm used by the Australian government to assess aged care needs is unreasonable, unfair, and lacks human oversight. The Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), which assesses the level of care older Australians are entitled to, operates as a "technological black box" with no public information on how it converts inputs into outcomes. Aged care assessors are legally barred from overriding the algorithm's funding package recommendations, even when decisions are clinically inappropriate. The investigation, triggered by media reports of distress among older people, also found that transparency recommendations from the robodebt royal commission have been ignored. The department of health and ageing has been contacted for comment.