The interim commissioner’s immediate purpose is to prepare the ground for the permanent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner.
The statutory role can then start with clear priorities, trusted relationships, practical operating arrangements and a strong mandate from community.
This includes preserving the intent of the co-design process, advising on the settings needed for the role to succeed, and ensuring the permanent commissioner is positioned to improve access, cultural safety and outcomes for older First Nations people from the outset.
The role
Jodi Cassar PSM commenced as the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner on 1 July 2026. Ms Cassar succeeds Andrea Kelly, the inaugural interim commissioner.
The interim commissioner position was established as a first step in the Australian Government’s commitment to implement recommendation 49 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
On 1 July 2026, the government introduced legislation to establish a permanent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner.
The role of the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner is to:
- design and establish an independent, permanent statutory commissioner role, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- engage with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families and communities about aged care
- advocate for system-level reform in the aged care sector that embeds cultural safety and improves access to culturally safe aged care for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Focus of the interim role
The interim commissioner is focused on establishing the practical foundations the permanent commissioner will need to operate effectively from the outset. This includes:
- developing an operating model for the permanent commissioner, including how the role will work with aged care system leaders while maintaining its independent voice
- preparing a first-year work plan that sets out key outcomes, priorities and early areas of focus
- shaping a national engagement approach that gives older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, organisations and aged care providers genuine opportunities to engage with the commissioner, including in regional and remote areas
- putting in place practical arrangements for receiving information, identifying systemic issues and raising matters that affect access to, or provision of, funded aged care services
- developing reporting and accountability arrangements that capture activity, outcomes and engagement in a way that is transparent, useful to community and aligned with the commissioner’s functions.
Responsibilities
The Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner’s responsibilities include:
- translating community engagement and co-design findings into practical priorities for the permanent commissioner’s first year
- developing the foundations for the annual work plan, including proposed outcomes, priority cohorts, priority regions, engagement mechanisms and early system-improvement opportunities
- advising on how the commissioner will work with aged care system leaders to improve and expand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s access to funded aged care services
- establishing clear pathways for the commissioner to provide advice on access, service design, program development, provider performance, cultural safety and the aged care workforce
- shaping a national engagement model that includes older people, families, communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, aged care providers and regional and remote communities
- progressing recommendations from the Transforming aged care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people report
- developing options for assessing and benchmarking cultural safety training, including how the sector can move beyond awareness to trauma-aware, healing-informed and culturally safe practice
- identifying how the commissioner can support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to prepare for registration as aged care providers
- supporting early thinking on workforce programs that build the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care workers and increase representation across the aged care workforce
- putting in place reporting foundations so future annual reports can show what the commissioner has done, what has changed for older First Nations people, and how community engagement has informed system improvement
- championing the obligations and opportunities provided under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, including proactive implementation of the four Priority Reforms.
Community-led foundations
The interim role carries forward the extensive engagement and co-design already undertaken with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families, communities and providers.
The interim commissioner will:
- protect community voice
- test emerging operating arrangements with stakeholders
- ensure the permanent commissioner inherits relationships, expectations and priorities that are clear, respectful and grounded in what older First Nations people have said they need.
About the commissioner
Ms Cassar is a proud Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi woman. She was born on Ngunnawal Country and has lived on Worimi lands for more than 40 years.
Ms Cassar brings more than 20 years of experience delivering complex reform across government, and most recently acted as First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, leading national reform work including the implementation of Australia’s Disability Strategy and cross-government reporting on responses to the Disability Royal Commission.
In 2023, Ms Cassar was awarded the Public Service Medal for her outstanding leadership during the pandemic, including her work supporting people with disability, workers and carers, and helping accelerate vaccine access for vulnerable Australians.
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