Karlene McCabe, who lives in Sydney, said her partner has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Karlene, who is 69, described how her partner — now 78 — received a diagnosis that altered the course of his life around two years ago.
The pair learned in November of the previous year that an automated government assessment tool had found them ineligible for aged care assistance, a determination that left both of them at a loss. Under the previous assessment framework, they had been placed in the third band of a four-tier scale, but when the government's Support At Home Integrated Assessment Tool took effect in late 2025, their position shifted to the third band of an eight-tier scale. Karlene described the outcome as leaving them with a fraction of the support they had previously received, noting that a fortnightly pension of $900, once routine expenses such as bills, rates, petrol, and health insurance were accounted for, left no funds available to cover the gap.
Twice-weekly physiotherapy sessions keep walking and upright posture within reach for her partner, though mobility aids remain a day-to-day necessity regardless. Daily insulin injections form part of their ongoing medical routine, alongside constant supervision to prevent fall-related injuries and hands-on help with meals, personal hygiene, and bathing.
The pair had put roughly $100,000 into home modifications designed to improve accessibility, and when the revised assessment stripped away their coverage, they described the outcome as devastating. Karlene said the news had left her feeling utterly shattered. At the time, those involved had no knowledge that an automated system, rather than a person, had reached the verdict.
A Change.org petition set up by Karlene called for human oversight to be restored to the assessment process. The petition drew a wave of responses, revealing that many others shared the same concerns. By the time she finished speaking with a prominent television outlet, the petition had drawn well over 10,000 names — at least 45 of them added during that conversation alone.
Karlene noted that numerous people had reached out to express gratitude for her willingness to speak publicly, with many sharing accounts of what they described as inhumane treatment under the current system. She also relayed that one woman, while awaiting a reassessment, had lost her husband and undergone an amputation, and Karlene added that without someone in a position of authority advocating on behalf of those affected, there would be little means of driving meaningful change.
A retired nurse conducted an in-person review of Karlene's partner's case as part of a fresh assessment. The couple's coverage tier has been upgraded, yet funds remain unreleased and equipment — including a door ramp, bed rail, and shower chair — has yet to arrive or receive final delivery clearance. Karlene noted that approvals appeared to be in place but that the timeline for receiving everything remained unclear.
Withdrawing from the permaculture garden — a joint undertaking that had shaped daily routines before illness arrived — proved to be one of the harder losses the partner had to absorb. Lawn upkeep and tidying the grounds represent costs the family has had to cover without outside assistance, while Karlene noted that the public support behind the petition has given her the resolve to press on.
A review of the Support At Home programme — focusing in particular on how its Integrated Assessment Tool operates — was set in motion by the government on Thursday. Gaps identified through consultation feedback in how assessment systems distribute care led the government to commission an independent review, with the appointed reviewer holding authority to recommend changes to those mechanisms so that support reflects individual circumstances and need among older Australians, while keeping the aged care system financially viable. A specialist advisory group drawing on gerontology and assessment expertise will be constituted to provide clinical grounding for the review's work, a parliamentary report is scheduled for the first half of 2027, and from January of that year older people in eligible circumstances will be able to access a case review pathway through which the Health Department can adjust Support at Home classification and priority levels, building on an earlier rapid review the government commissioned into the prioritisation algorithm to identify near-term changes to how priority is determined.
The Older Persons Advocacy Network described the review as a necessary step, with chief executive Craig Gear noting that the organisation had consistently received accounts from older people, their families, and advocates about instances where the assessment tool had not accurately captured care needs, leading to delays in accessing appropriate services and drawn-out reassessment processes. Gear expressed that the convergence of the government and the Coalition on these changes was a welcome development. Separately, Independent Senator David Pocock, commenting on a Senate bill passed earlier in the year that would have allowed human assessors to override the algorithm but was not advanced in the lower house, put forward the view that the Minister had fallen short of the standard that older Australians and their families warranted.
Independent MP Monique Ryan likened the tool to a Robodebt-style arrangement transplanted into aged care, urging the government to enshrine binding rules around how automated decision-making systems are constructed, evaluated, and rolled out across social services, and to place the Integrated Assessment Tool on hold until that legislative framework exists.
