Thursday 16 July 2026

Federal Member for Mallee and Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Dr Anne Webster MP, says a damning assessment by the Inspector-General of Aged Care has confirmed what older Australians, Mallee residents, their families and aged care providers have been experiencing under the Albanese Labor Government.

Inspector-General of Aged Care Natalie Siegel-Brown warned the National Press Club on Wednesday that the implementation of aged care reforms was causing harm as Labor prioritised "announceables" and outputs over the needs of older Australians.
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Dr Webster said the Inspector-General's verdict was particularly concerning for regional and rural communities, where delays and service shortages are already leaving vulnerable Australians without the care they need.
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"Labor's own independent watchdog is telling the Government their aged care reforms are failing the very people they were supposed to help," Dr Webster said.

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"Older Australians deserve to age with dignity, independence and security. Instead, Labor has created a system typified by waiting lists, bureaucratic hurdles and decisions made by algorithms rather than people.

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"For many regional Australians, every delay has real consequences. When services are already stretched, further barriers to accessing care can mean older Australians deteriorate while waiting for support that should have been available months earlier."

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Dr Webster said the Inspector-General's comments echoed concerns she had raised repeatedly on behalf of older people across western Victoria.

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"Only recently I raised serious concerns following advice from Grampians Community Health that changes under Labor's aged care reforms risked creating additional barriers for clients trying to access the support they need.

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"Providers on the ground are warning that the system is becoming more complicated, not more responsive, and that vulnerable older Australians are being left behind.

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"When frontline organisations and the Government's own watchdog are both sounding the alarm, the Albanese Government should listen."

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Recent Senate committee evidence has revealed:

- Financial hardship applications increased by 88 per cent in the first two months of Labor's Support at Home reforms;
- Only 129 people out of more than 100,000 assessed were deemed urgent under Labor's assessment algorithm;
- A simple mobility aid costing around $50 took months to deliver and cost the system thousands of dollars;
- Older Australians are waiting longer for assessments and support, despite repeated assurances from the Government that reforms would improve outcomes;
- Many older Australians continue to receive only a fraction of the care they have been assessed as needing.

Dr Webster said these outcomes demonstrated Labor's system is focused on administration, not people.
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"Older Australians are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are parents, grandparents, volunteers, veterans and community leaders who have spent a lifetime contributing to our nation," Dr Webster said.
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"They deserve a system that sees them as individuals and responds to their circumstances with compassion and common sense.
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"The Inspector-General has made it clear that it is not too late for the Government to change course. Labor should listen to older Australians, listen to providers and listen to its own watchdog before more people fall through the cracks."
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Dr Webster called on the Albanese Government to improve transparency around aged care waiting lists, support the Coalition's Bill to restore genuine human oversight to care assessments, and ensure aged care reforms deliver practical outcomes rather than additional bureaucracy.
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"Regional Australians are tired of Labor announcements that are not backed by results. Older Australians deserve care that is timely, personal and reliable. The Albanese Government must stop defending an indefensible system and fix it so Mallee residents can get the care they need and deserve," Dr Webster said.

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