Contractor paid $35K a day to operate My Aged Care

My Aged Care, the main entry point into the aged care system, is poorly understood and overly complex to navigate, according to a report by Inspector-General of Aged Care Natalie Siegel-Brown.

Now the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has extended a digital consultancy contract to “operate and enhance” the consumer interface with the aged care system.

The extension, dated 24 April 2026, adds another $2.7 million to the value of contract with Fortitude Valley, Queensland-based iLiquid Pty Ltd, and follows another $2.7 million extension granted last September which followed a $900,000 extension granted only two months prior.

The total value of the iLiquid contract now stands at $33.3 million over the life of the three-and-a-half year deal – equating to roughly $35,000 a day.

The firm, founded and chaired by Michael Burke nearly 20 years ago, has now seen the Government contract extended 17 times.

However, My Aged Care has been plagued with quality issues in recent years.

Siegel-Brown's 104-page Review of My Aged Care to Government last September, which was published in December 2025, found: “Whilst My Aged Care is intended to provide the ‘front door’ to the aged care system, for many the experience is more akin to navigating a maze.” The report made several recommendations, which the Government only accepted in part.

The 2024-25 Annual Report for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing reported the My Aged Care website only achieved a 64% satisfaction rating by users, below Government-set targets. The result was an eight percentage point improvement on the previous year.

My Aged Care underwent a significant update on 1 November 2025 with the introduction of the Aged Care Act 2024. The new website contains 80% updated content, new tools, and a revised look.