Our independent oversight drives the key outcomes we aim to achieve for a better aged care system.
Reviews
We conduct in-depth reviews to examine the issues that matter most in transforming the aged care system. Our focus is on issues that affect people’s rights, dignity and access to high-quality care.
Our reviews assess:
- How government departments and agencies are meeting their responsibilities under the Aged Care Act 2024
- System-wide challenges and opportunities for improvement
- Insights from lived experience, data, and sector trends both here and around the world.
We table our reports in Parliament and publish them on the resources page.
Oversight of complaints management
Part of our role is to oversee and review how the Australian Government manages complaints about aged care, focusing on whether the system is fair, effective, and improving over time.
This includes examining complaints management across the system, including how government agencies regulate approved providers and other aged care bodies.
We don’t handle individual complaints about aged care. Instead, we look at how the system works overall, providing an independent, fair view to improve how complaints are managed and how aged care is delivered.
Find out how to make a complaint about aged care services on the My Aged Care website.
If you need support, please contact the Older Persons Advocacy Network.
Ongoing monitoring
We are an intelligence-led organisation. Our role is to monitor how the aged care system is performing, focusing on whether it delivers kind, compassionate, high-quality care, and whether the Australian Government is meets its responsibilities under the Aged Care Act 2024.
We do this by:
- Collecting and analysing data
- Listening to the lived experiences of older people and those who support them, in addition to broader sector and peak engagement
- Seeking insights and experience from domestic and international stakeholders.
These insights help us to:
- Understand what’s happening across the system
- Identify emerging risks and trends, in addition to where the system is working well and where change is needed.
We use this intelligence to assess the overall health of the aged care system and provide open, independent reporting to government, Parliament, and the public.
Reports
Our reports are a key tool for transparency in the aged care system. They highlight what is working, highlight serious issues, and recommend system-wide improvements for aged care.
We produce a range of reports, including:
- Review reports – findings and recommendations following investigations into systemic issues
- Progress reports – updates on the implementation of Royal Commission recommendations
- Corporate reports – annual reports and corporate plans
- Other reports – standalone and focused reports on key catalysts for change, including topics such as government body performance, aged care data, and emerging sector issues.
All our reports are informed by evidence, data and lived experience.
In many of our reports, we highlight where experiences elsewhere demonstrate how the government can better achieve the aspirations of older people in aged care.
We publish our reports on the Resources page. The Minister for Aged Care also tables copies in Parliament.
These reports support independent oversight and accountability of the aged care system.
What is a systemic issue?
The Inspector-General seeks to address systemic issues in aged care, including those that are longstanding.
When determining if an issue is systemic, we consider the following:
- Is it more than a single or isolated incident?
- Is it a significant issue that pervades multiple parts of the aged care system?
- Does it have widespread implications and affect a significant number of older people in Australia?
- Does it instead significantly disadvantage a small specific demographic?
- Is it an issue that, despite attempts to address it, has persisted within the aged care system for a number of years?
Sharing what we learn
We share clear, accessible information about our work and what we find. This helps people understand how the aged care system is performing and where improvements are needed.
By shining a light on serious barriers and highlighting models of care that work well, we contribute to informed public discussion and promote better outcomes. We are committed to helping people navigate the aged care system with confidence, and to building a stronger understanding of how the system can deliver kind, compassionate and high-quality care.
We will continue to find new and practical ways to inform and engage the community as part of our role. Over time, we will be developing resources to support learning and best practice in aged care including factsheets, insights and thought leadership. Watch this space.