SENATOR THE HON ANNE RUSTON
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE
SENATOR FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

TRANSCRIPT

Interview on FIVEAA breakfast with David Penberthy and Will Goodings
Friday, 5 June 2026

Topics: Aged Care Act Amendment

David Penberthy Yesterday’s breaking out because it involved something completely jaw-dropping that I only found out this morning. Namely that the Albanese government has been secretly using something called an integrated assessment tool, the IAT, to assess people’s applications. Need help around the house. They’ve been using this thing called the IAT to assess their applications to receive help through the My Aged Care scheme. Now this AI style thing it was rolled out it wasn’t trialled it was rolled out without consultation. Without any mechanism for professionals to override its decision so it might explain why you know why why listeners are in this position um they might have serious conditions they’ve put in their forms and it’s been a computer says no scenario as happened with the Rees family, with Greg, who’s suffering from MND, a prompt notice of 12 months to live, and even though he got classified for the highest level of care, it was deemed by the computer to be non-urgent. Well, mercifully, the Libs are all over this. Senator Anne Ruston is the shadow minister for health. I think she was in estimates when all this came to light. Anne good morning thanks for coming on.

Senator Ruston My pleasure.

David Penberthy It’s really quite scandalous, I think.

Senator Ruston Well, it is really quite outrageous that we’ve got a situation where older Australians’ care needs and the priority of those care needs are being decided by a computer and not by a human. And despite often the qualified assessors determining that the older person needs a much, much higher level of care, they have got no capacity to overturn the decision of the computer. So you’re quite right, the computer can say no. So what we’re seeking to do today Is to say, that can’t happen anymore. The decision maker must be a person and not a machine.

David Penberthy Is that legislation, Senator, would that just be for these specific cases or across all of government?

Senator Ruston No, well, it will be specifically for the use of the independent assessment tool for assessing older Australians, but one of the things we’re going to put in this legislation is anybody who’s been assessed by this tool, whilst it has been the machine making the decision, we are going to make sure that they have the opportunity to be reassessed. So anybody who has been assessed since the 1st of November will have the opportunity to be reassessed because we know there are so many bad decisions out there.

David Penberthy And there’s about, what, 900-odd people, Senator Ruston, who have launched complaints about the assessment that they received here.

Senator Ruston Yes indeed, we’ve heard of 900 people who, well we know that 900 people have put in a request for a review, but how many more people out there haven’t chosen to put in an assessment because they’re so distressed by the decision and you know you hear stories like John Wilson who was assessed as needing the highest level of care, told to wait 10 months and then to add insult to injury, gets a congratulatory letter to him. Days, you know, two days after he died to tell him he’d got his package.

David Penberthy Yeah wow, hardly cause for celebration is it. It’s a total shambles and good on you for acting on it. Senator Anne Ruston, the Shadow Minister of Health, joining us this morning for breaking at 8.

Senator Ruston Thanks, guys.

ENDS