The Australian Greens party, led by David Shoebridge, is calling on the federal government to amend legislation governing the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) used for aged care home support packages. This push follows a 104-page report released by the commonwealth ombudsman, which criticized the current system for its lack of flexibility.

According to the ombudsman, the IAT—an algorithm-driven software used to determine funding levels for older Australians—often produces outcomes that assessors believe are inaccurate. Currently, the system does not provide a formal mechanism for human workers to override or amend these algorithmic decisions, even when they conflict with professional judgment. The ombudsman has recommended that the government introduce legislative changes to allow for such human intervention, ensuring that assessments are more accurate and responsive to individual needs.

The Greens are now pressuring the government to prioritize these legislative changes during the final two sitting weeks of parliament. They argue that the current "unfair" system places unnecessary limitations on aged care workers and risks denying elderly citizens the appropriate level of support. While the ombudsman's report highlights the technical and procedural failures of the IAT, the political debate centers on whether the government will act quickly enough to restore human discretion to the assessment process before the parliamentary session concludes.