We’re revisiting a story that’s been sparking a lot of listener questions after last week’s discussion — the rise of algorithm-driven decision-making in Australia’s aged care at home funding system.

This week, we’re joined by Professor Hal Swerissen, Emeritus Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, to unpack what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

The big question: when funding decisions for older Australians are increasingly shaped by algorithms, are we improving fairness and consistency… or quietly removing human judgement from care?

We’ll break it down:
• How the Support at Home system actually assigns care funding
• Why small scoring changes can mean thousands of dollars in support
• Concerns about “black box” decision-making with no manual override
• Why families are increasingly appealing assessments they don’t understand
• And whether this is efficiency — or a system now needing reform

At the centre of it all is a simple tension: standardisation vs individual care needs.

We&rsquo;re revisiting a story that&rsquo;s been sparking a lot of listener questions after last week&rsquo;s discussion &mdash; the rise of algorithm-driven decision-making in Australia&rsquo;s&nbsp;aged care at home funding system.
This week, we&rsquo;re joined by Professor Hal Swerissen, Emeritus Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, to unpack what&rsquo;s actually happening behind the scenes.
The big question: when funding decisions for older Australians are increasingly shaped by algorithms, are we improving fairness and consistency&hellip; or quietly removing human judgement from care?
We&rsquo;ll break it down: &bull; How the Support at Home system actually assigns care funding &bull; Why small scoring changes can mean thousands of dollars in support &bull; Concerns about &ldquo;black box&rdquo; decision-making with no manual override &bull; Why families are increasingly appealing assessments they don&rsquo;t understand &bull; And whether this is efficiency &mdash; or a system now needing reform
At the centre of it all is a simple tension: standardisation vs individual care needs.

Join Brent Bultitude every weekend for lively chats with industry insiders and special guests! Covering the latest trends and exciting topics, it's your go-to for fresh insights and fun conversations.

Tune in for your weekend fix of thought-provoking conversation!

Join&nbsp;Brent Bultitude&nbsp;every weekend for lively chats with industry insiders and special guests! Covering the latest trends and exciting topics, it's your go-to for fresh insights and fun conversations.
Tune in for your weekend fix of thought-provoking conversation!

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Brent&rsquo;s Business background and personality are fundamental to asking the right people the right questions with interviews, the latest news, quizzes, music and your calls on 13 12 69. Plus Brent interviews many more people that are going to tell us what&rsquo;s going from stories in the news to the things you care about.