Inspector-General of Aged Care, Natalie Siegel-Brown, has announced she will step down from the role on 31 July 2026, less than two years after taking up the position.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Siegel-Brown said the decision came after a significant expansion of her international responsibilities with a United Nations agency, a role she has held alongside her aged care appointment since entering office.
She said the growing demands of that global work meant she could no longer commit to the full-time expectations of the Inspector-General position.
“The role of Inspector-General of Aged Care demands complete dedication, and it deserves nothing less,” she said.
“While this was not a decision I made lightly, my international obligations have fundamentally changed, and retaining both roles would not be consistent with the level of dedication the Inspector-General role demands.”
Siegel-Brown also said the move would allow her to spend more time with her young family.
Her resignation marks an early end to an appointment that was originally due to run until October 2029. She began in the role in January 2025 as the inaugural statutory office holder of the Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care, an independent watchdog created to oversee the Commonwealth’s administration, funding and regulation of aged care.
In a personal post on LinkedIn, Siegel-Brown described the decision as “what felt like the impossible decision”.
“Serving as Inspector-General has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” she wrote.
“At the heart of this work has always been people, older people, families, advocates and workers, who trusted me with their stories.”
She said those stories had shaped both her leadership and the development of the office itself, adding that together they had made visible issues “the system can no longer ignore”.
During her time in the role, Siegel-Brown became a prominent voice in Australia’s aged care reform debate, overseeing major reviews and publicly pushing for stronger accountability, rights-based care and systemic change.
One of the office’s most significant pieces of work under her leadership was its review of My Aged Care, which found many older Australians were still struggling to navigate the system and access support when they needed it.
In her resignation statement, Siegel-Brown said the work of the office would continue well beyond her departure.
“As I step away from the role, I want people to know that the stories shared with me do not end here,” she said.
“They now live within the work of the Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care, an independent oversight body specifically designed to keep listening, to honour lived experience, and to ensure those voices continue to drive reform and accountability.”
She also paid tribute to her team, thanking staff for helping shape the office’s culture and mission, and acknowledged the support she had received from older Australians, families, advocates and aged care stakeholders across the sector.
Siegel-Brown said she would remain in the role for the next three months and would continue working with government to ensure an orderly transition before her departure at the end of July.
It was great to see a dedicated aged care Advocate lead the Nation as Inspector General. I hope the next person is a genuine Advocate for elderly and is as dedicated. I wish you all the success you can handle in your international role too…
“One of the office’s most significant pieces of work under her leadership was its review of My Aged Care, which found many older Australians were still struggling to navigate the system and access support when they needed it.”
It was a very good review. Recommendation 3 of the Review was “Reduce System Complexity.”
The Final Report of her Review came out on 1 November last year – the day that “Support at Home” and the New Aged Care Act went “live” and created system complexity, dysfunction and confusion which far surpasses the previous – already overly complicated – system.
The Government has shown no interest in listening to her, and appears to completely disregard her office.
No wonder she resigned.
It never occurred to me that the Inspector General of Aged Care is a PART TIME POSITION ?
I guess its no surprise, but I am still shocked.
Why would the Government want a full time Inspector General challenging Aged Care policy, administration and outcomes ?
Answer, they don’t want that.
I saw the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors interviewed on TV.
He has a fine political career ahead of him.
He spoke for about 10 minutes and said absolutely nothing !
Albo will be pleased
A Royal Commission. And lots of hot air. Aged Care is still a complete F/U and the families and older people needing care suffer. Australia really has to start valuing its older people and understanding that just throwing them into facilities designed to make money rather than care for them is not the right way. Look at Canada. Look at Italy. The system sucks and is completely broken and as long as greedy investors keep sucking up the huge dividends of an aging population nothing will change.
In my dealings with the Office of Inspector General under Ms Siegel-Brown I felt that there was a genuine and compassionate interest in, and understanding of, the ongoing issues in aged care. The independence of the Office enables open and honest communication to all stakeholders. I was very sorry to hear of Ms Siegel-Brown’s resignation. I hope that the new IG will continue the good work.