About the Inspector-General of Aged Care
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommended that the Australian Government establish an:
- Inspector-General of Aged Care
- Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care to support the Inspector-General’s work.
Establishing the Inspector-General and supporting office requires legislation. The proposed Inspector-General of Aged Care Bill must be passed by Parliament to become law. We anticipate this will occur in mid-2023.
Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care
The Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care will be an independent agency. It will oversee the Australian Government's administration, regulation and funding of aged care, including:
- the Department of Health and Aged Care
- the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority
- other services or bodies in the aged care system regulated or funded by the Australian Government.
The office will support the Inspector-General to give independent oversight of the aged care system through reviews, ongoing monitoring, and reports.
Once established, the Inspector-General of Aged Care will have its own website and be independent from the department.
Why it is important
The Inspector-General will play a critical role in driving improvement across the aged care system by:
- looking at it from end to end, calling out systemic issues and recommending improvements
- providing increased accountability and transparency through reporting to Parliament, including on the progress of the implementation of Royal Commission recommendations.
The Inspector-General will also oversee and review the complaints management frameworks of the aged care system – that is, how complaints are managed by:
- government agencies
- approved providers
- other aged care bodies funded or regulated by the Australian Government.
The Inspector-General will not have the power to investigate individual complaints related to aged care.
Establishing an Interim Inspector-General
The Inspector-General cannot be appointed until the supporting legislation has come into effect as this will create the position. We expect this will occur in mid-2023.
Until this happens, an Interim Inspector-General will operate under administrative arrangements.
An interim office will also be established to provide support. This office will be in the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Public consultation on draft legislation
Public consultation on the Bill closed on the 27 January 2023.
All feedback received during the public consultation will be considered and will help inform the Bill.
Find more on the Aged Care reforms by visiting the Aged Care Engagement Hub.
Resources
We have a number of resources available to support consultation on the Inspector-General of Aged Care Bill including: