The department has made a frank assessment of its own preparedness for technological change, conceding its workforce systems and data are also falling short.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has conceded AI and automation are advancing faster than its workforce is ready for, as it sets out plans to strengthen its internal capability during 2026-27.
In a frank assessment contained in its new Workforce Strategy, DoHDA listed digital disruption among five key risks facing the department.
“Digital disruption, AI and automation are outpacing workforce capability and readiness,” the strategy said.
It also acknowledged shortcomings in the department’s existing workforce planning infrastructure.
“Current workforce planning, systems and data do not provide the agility and insights needed to respond effectively to changing priorities and capability requirements.”
The admissions came as DoHDA oversees major reforms across health, disability and aged care, while increasingly looking to emerging technology to improve its own operations.
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The strategy said the department was “strengthening our digital capability, including the responsible use of AI and automation to improve productivity, enhance collaboration, and deliver better services more efficiently”.
Among its priorities for 2026-27 would be building and measuring workforce capability and “providing resources to enabling [sic] the safe and responsible adoption of AI and automation”.
It would also review requirements for its systems, data, and workforce insights.
DoHDA said it would consider the strategy successful when workforce decisions were informed by “evidence, data and insights” and it had the capabilities required to deliver APS priorities and “safely adopt emerging technologies, including AI and automation”.
The department also acknowledged problems managing change, listing as another key risk that “change is not consistently managed in a way that builds confidence, supports adoption and enables sustainable outcomes”.
Its overarching goal was to build what it described as a “capable, agile, and future-ready workforce” to deliver Australia’s health, disability and aged care systems.
Read the full strategy here.