Shock exit: Inspector-General of Aged Care steps down

Natalie Siegel-Brown has announced today she will resign as Inspector-General of Aged Care, effective 31 July 2026.

Posting on LinkedIn, Natalie said the decision followed increasing demands from her concurrent international role.

“Sadly, I have made what felt like the impossible decision: to resign as Inspector General of Aged Care, effective 31 July 2026,” she wrote.

“Throughout the time I’ve been Inspector-General, I've simultaneously held an international position with a United Nations agency. As my global responsibilities have grown in ways I couldn’t have anticipated, I’ve reached a point where I can’t do both justice.

“The Inspector-General role needs a person in it full-time.”

Natalie said serving in the role had been “one of the greatest privileges” of her career.

“At the heart of this work has always been people - older people, families, advocates and workers - who trusted me with their stories. To every one of you: thank you. I have never lost sight of what it takes to speak up, especially when experience tells you systems don’t always listen," she said.

“Whether you shared hope for a better system, or the pain of when it has fallen short, your trust has stayed with me. It has shaped the Office, how I work, and what I have fought for. Together, I reckon we have made visible what the system can no longer ignore.”

Her resignation follows a series of high-profile interventions, including her SATURDAY cover feature warning reform risked being “bolted” onto the wrong system and her speech to LEADERS SUMMIT 2026, which was widely applauded.

Watch Natalie Siegel-Brown's speech to delegates at LEADERS SUMMIT 2026

She said the stories she had heard would continue to inform the work of the Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care.

“Those stories do not end here. They now live within the Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care; an independent institution built to keep listening, to honour lived and living experience, and to ensure those voices continue to drive accountability and reform.”

Natalie confirmed she will remain in the role until the end of July.

“I’m still here for the next three months, so please don’t consider me gone just yet. I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got right to the very end.”

She was appointed to the role in January 2025 for a fixed term through to October 2029.