Natalie Siegel-Brown, Inspector-General of Aged Care, will Address the National Press Club on “The Math Ain’t Mathin’: Is Australia funding independence or decline?”
The new Aged Care Act promises dignity, independence, and ageing in place. Yet our budget prioritises later – rather than earlier – support, and prices independence beyond the reach of many. Then we wonder why the aged care budget never keeps pace with ‘beds’. The expected cry from an Inspector-General is ‘more money, more money’. But the real issue is not how much we spend; it’s how we spend it. Right now, the system is structurally misaligned, paying for late, high-cost intervention while discouraging the early support that keeps people independent. The result is not just human cost, but economic failure: a system that pushes people toward residential care unnecessarily, or sooner than necessary, is both unfair and unsustainable.
BIO
Natalie is a passionate advocate for human rights and elevating the voice of older people in directing change for Australia’s aged care system. As Inspector-General of Aged Care, she holds the government accountable for its administration and regulation of Australia’s aged care system.
Before her role as Inspector-General, she served as Commissioner for Social Policy at the Australian Productivity Commission. She was also a member of the Queensland Independent Truth and Treaty Body and a Board Member of Ageing and Disability Advocacy Australia. Natalie concurrently works for the UN in the Pacific in child rights, and on the Board of OXFAM.
In her previous role as Queensland Public Guardian, Natalie was the independent human rights defender for the state’s most vulnerable adults and children. Her role uniquely empowered her to investigate and intervene in cases of elder abuse. During her tenure, she championed the elimination of restrictive practices in aged care, advocated for independent physical oversight of residential facilities, and collaborated with Australian banks to address and prevent financial abuse of older Queenslanders.
With extensive experience as a CEO, government oversight body leader, and independent statutory appointee, Natalie’s expertise spans across domestic and family violence, sexual violence, child abuse and neglect, youth justice, mental health, disability, aged care, and elder abuse.
Natalie’s career began as a lawyer working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, focusing on domestic and family violence and crime prevention. She has held positions at the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission. For over two decades, Natalie has worked with communities and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations from Cape York to the Kimberley.
