“Robo” decisions in aged care risk leaving older Australians without the support they need

Australia’s planned overhaul of home care services could leave vulnerable older people without timely, affordable support unless key problems are fixed, Juniper has told a Government inquiry.

Juniper’s submission to the Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into the Transition from the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) to the new Support at Home (SaH) Program highlights that while well-intentioned, the system is not yet stable, flexible or adequately resourced for the new system to be fully implemented by 1 July 2027.

Among the issues of concern are algorithm-driven assessments which are determining funding outcomes that do not reflect older people’s real needs.

Under the Government’s staged rollout, SaH replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care from 1 November 2025, with CHSP to transition no earlier than 1 July 2027.

The timeline was designed to give providers time to adapt, but Juniper has found, in practice, late policy details and immature systems have done the opposite, creating more work and poorer outcomes for older Australians.

More than 200,000 older Australians are waiting for home care nationally, forcing many with complex needs to rely on CHSP, a program designed only for low-level support. CHSP is now fully subscribed, with capped outputs and long wait times.

Juniper supports more than 1,300 CHSP customers across metropolitan, regional and remote WA, including areas where we are the only provider.

Juniper CEO Russell Bricknell said while the new aged care reforms aimed to put older people at the centre of care, in practice providers are seeing growing gaps between assessed need and funded support.

“Without changes, there’s a real risk that some older Australians will be worse off,” Mr Bricknell said. “CHSP has become the safety net for a system that doesn’t have enough capacity. Simply converting it into Support at Home won’t fix the underlying problem.”

Juniper has raised particular concerns in its submission about My Aged Care assessments, which are being driven by automated algorithms. This is resulting in automated or “robo” decisions that can’t be explained, lack transparency and, in many cases, can’t be overridden by assessors, despite clinical judgement suggesting an alternative outcome.

“We have seen cases where customers with complex health conditions receive reduced funding despite clinical evidence of higher needs,” Mr Bricknell explained.

“The fact these assessments are not aligning with a customer’s real needs is deeply concerning. It not only undermines confidence in the system it also contradicts the human-rights focus of the new Aged Care Act.”

Delays and limitations in the Support Plan Review process are compounding the issue. Customers are often required to exhaust funds before reassessments are approved, risking gaps in care and health deterioration.

Juniper has also outlined that the lifetime cap of $15,000 for home modifications is unrealistic. Effective, safe modifications for people with complex needs are more likely to cost around $50,000 once other factors, like having to reconfigure a bathroom in order to accommodate for necessary equipment, have been added to the equation.

“Early, flexible interventions like home modifications and domestic support prevent falls and hospital admissions,” Mr Bricknell said. “When those supports are constrained, costs don’t disappear, they shift to hospitals.”

Juniper warned that increased co-contributions under SaH are already discouraging older people from transitioning to the new system, particularly pensioners and those on low incomes. Many Juniper customers are choosing to remain on CHSP or reduce services because SaH is more expensive.

“People are asking a simple question: ‘Why would I move to Support at Home if I have to pay more?” Mr Bricknell said. “For some, the answer is they won’t – and that’s a concern.”

Juniper is urging the government to introduce greater flexibility during the transition, including clinically justified funding adjustments, stronger assessment governance and adequate transitional funding.

Mr Bricknell added: “These reforms can work but only if they’re grounded in real-world needs and give providers the tools to keep older Australians safe, independent and supported at home.”

Hearings will start today. The inquiry is set to report on 15 April 2026.

Read Juniper’s submission to the inquiry here