Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care appointed
- Acting appointment: Kate Pope PSM commences as Acting Inspector-General
- Experienced public servant: Pope brings 35 years of public sector experience
- Leadership change: Pope succeeds Natalie Siegel-Brown
- Independent oversight: Inspector-General monitors aged care performance
The Government has appointed an Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care after Natalie Siegel-Brown unexpectedly cut short her term.
Kate Pope PSM commenced as Acting Inspector-General of Aged Care on 1 August 2026, after Siegel-Brown departed on 31 July.
Prior to her appointment, Pope was retired, following a 35-year career as a public servant.
She previously spent eight years with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, most recently as Deputy President of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Repatriation Commission.
Pope was awarded a Public Service Medal as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2012.
Pope will serve as Acting Inspector-General until a permanent appointment has been made. Recruitment is underway.
“Ms Pope comes to the position with deep experience in the public sector and I am confident she will do an excellent job in working with us and the Parliament in improving aged care for older people,” said Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae.
“The Inspector-General has an important function in working co-operatively with the Government to advance systemic improvements to Australia’s aged care system.”
Rae thanked Siegel-Brown for her service and wished her well.
Yet Siegel-Brown has been a critic of the Government’s aged care reforms.
In her recent National Press Club address she said the Government claims to want older people to aged in place, but the reforms discourage people from accessing services.
She has consistently said the Government’s $40 billion Budget would be better spent if more was allocated to prevention, delaying entry to residential aged care and saving the Government billions.
The function of the Inspector-General of Aged Care is to monitor Australia’s aged care system and making recommendations to the Government to help strengthen the quality of care provided to older Australians.
The Inspector-General also reports to the Government on the progress of delivering the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
