Liz Hefren-Webb appointed Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner

Janet Anderson PSM will step down as the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner after six years in the role following the announcement of Liz Hefren-Webb as the new Commissioner.

Ms Hefren-Webb’s tenure begins on January 20, 2025.

Ms Anderson is the inaugural Commissioner, having held the role since 1 January 2019. She was appointed when aged care was under immense scrutiny, and the Commission handed a broad range of tools to regulate aged care services. 

There was no time to rest as the COVID-19 pandemic mounted additional pressure on the sector before the Labor Government began its transformative aged care reform process. 

Key changes and growth included implementing the new Aged Care Quality Standards, the establishment of the Serious Incident Response Scheme, 24/7 registered nurse coverage, and mandatory care minutes.

However, with Ms Anderson’s appointment nearing the end of its five-year allowance, the Commission began advertising the role in October. 

Ms Hefren-Webb was appointed following a merit-based selection process in line with the government’s Merit and Transparency Policy. 

She is currently Deputy Secretary, Social Policy, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has held senior leadership roles with the Department of Social Services. 

Her leadership in areas such as the National Redress Scheme and the COVID-19 pandemic response has involved complex and sensitive consumer and stakeholder engagement.

“I am honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to making aged care services better for older people in Australia,” Ms Hefren-Webb shared.

“This is a pivotal time for the aged care sector and those who access aged care services as the new Aged Care Act, that has older people at the centre, begins from 1 July 2025. I look forward to leading the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission through this time of change.

“Through effective regulation of the aged care sector, I am confident that Australia’s aged care system will protect the health, safety and wellbeing of older people now and into the future.”

Her appointment to the critical regulatory role coincides with a new era for aged care. The new Aged Care Act will come into force from July 1, 2025, with a range of strengthened responsibilities, rules and obligations for aged care service providers. 

Regulatory oversight will be a focal point during this transition period. 

“Ms Liz Hefren-Webb’s strong leadership skills and knowledge of social policy will help us continue to protect older Australians,” Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said.  

“I thank Ms Janet Anderson PSM for her commitment to providing excellent leadership of the Commission for the past six years, through a time of major change and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I look forward to working with Liz as she leads the Commission through the delivery of the new Aged Care Act, a new regulatory environment, strengthened Quality Standards and beyond.”

Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) Chief Executive Officer Craig Gear is another leader to express their gratitude for Ms Anderson’s leadership and dedication since 2019.

“Ms Anderson oversaw the implementation of the Aged Care Quality Standards, the establishment of the Serious Incident Response Scheme, and mandatory care minutes – all important reform pieces which have improved an older person’s experience in aged care,” he said.

“I look forward to working with Ms Hefren-Webb in the new year to ensure the voices of older people are at the core of our national regulator’s focus.

“I congratulate Ms Hefren-Webb for being appointed to this position. She will be tasked with the enormous job of upholding the health, safety and wellbeing of older people.”

Change has also occurred behind the scenes at the Commission after it overhauled workflow automation to become more responsive to what is demanded of it in a modern environment.

As reported by Digital Nation, the Commission has adopted the integration platform Workato to connect ‘key information systems and pipeline data from various systems into our Snowflake data lakehouse’. 

“Obviously, technology itself was critical but needed to be implemented in the context of the people and processes that would enable and utilise those technologies to achieve outcomes,” Chief Digital Officer Tristan Cox told Digital Nation.

“We think this kind of future-focused flexibility will offset the unknowns that may emerge over time and keep the platforms fit-for-purpose over a much longer time period than our legacy platforms.”