Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. Recent Senate estimates revealed that, between 1 November 2025 and 23 January 2026, 414 older Australians appealed their Support at Home package. The department then advised at estimates that just two of those 414 appeals were reviewed over a seven-week period. Does the minister believe that completing just two reviews over that timeframe is acceptable?

Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care and Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. I believe it relates to the integrated assessment tool and the process of review that is in place, and I'd like to take the opportunity to clear a couple of things up for the member. Firstly, all of the assessments that are completed using the integrated assessment tool under the single assessment system are completed by qualified human assessors, with clinical input documented from start to finish. It's about making sure that we've got an assessment process that is efficient, accurate and fair so that, no matter where you live in Australia or who comes to do the assessment, everybody is treated equitably.

Since November, we've completed 180,000 assessments. In terms of the review process that is in place, there have been requests for review of less than half a per cent of those 180,000 assessments. Again, when we have a system that needs to be accurate, efficient and fair, we need to make sure that we can complete those assessments in a reasonable amount of time. Under the old system, people were in some cases being left to wait for up to 10 months to get their assessment completed. By the time the old system finished up, we had about $4 billion in unspent funds sitting within people's accounts. We now have median assessment times consistently under a month.

Again, at every turn, we have sought to implement a system that is fairer for older people, that is accurate and that is efficient. We will continue to do so.