Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026; Direction to Committee

Opened the debate

Allman-Payne moved a direction to the committee to divide the bill, placing Schedule 4 into separate legislation. Allman-Payne argued that while there was broad agreement on the need for a permanent First Nations commissioner, it was inappropriate to link this to amendments regarding the integrated assessment tool. Allman-Payne stated that the tool was fundamentally flawed and that Schedule 4 failed to address concerns raised by stakeholders, including the removal of human override. Allman-Payne contended that passing the bill with Schedule 4 attached would excuse the government's failure to fix the assessment system, which was harming older people by underassessing their needs.

Government response

McAllister argued that the Greens' motion was an attempt to block the establishment of an escalation pathway for home support assessments. McAllister stated that the government was working to create a fair and sustainable aged care system with consistent national rules, replacing a previous system that produced varying results. McAllister explained that the escalation pathway was designed to handle exceptional cases that did not fit neatly into standard processes, as requested by assessment organisations and peak bodies. McAllister also highlighted that the bill strengthened advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by creating a dedicated commissioner within the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.