State and territory disability ministers have accused the Albanese Government of pushing on with National Disability Insurance Scheme reform that does not align with previous agreements, warning the pace of change risks the safety of people with disability. Source: ABC News.
In a stinging joint submission to the Labor-led Senate inquiry examining the bill, state ministers said the proposal for change went “beyond and contrasted with” the recommendations of previous reviews and was “inconsistent with commitments by all governments” made at national cabinet in January.
The Senate inquiry has spent the past three days hearing concerns from across the disability sector and received more than 4000 public submissions in just over a fortnight.
Under the proposed overhaul, the federal government expects about 300,000 people to be either kicked off or prevented from accessing the now-$50 billion scheme, with many to be serviced by yet-to-be-built supports to be run by the states.
The changes would save more than $36 billion over the next four years, and follow concerns the NDIS has been growing faster than Medicare, been exploited by criminals and is shedding public support.
The state ministers said “significant projected participant exits” by 2031 have not been “accompanied by clearly defined alternative supports”, and that all jurisdictions shared “a collective responsibility” for the sustainability of the NDIS.
“The pace of reform – focused heavily on expenditure constraint, without a clearly defined broader ecosystem and with limited consultation – creates a significant risk of fragmented service delivery,” the submission said.
“There is a significant risk that people with disability will end up in hospitals or other settings that are inappropriate and unable to meet their needs, or have no access to services at all.”
The states also criticised a proposal to give the federal NDIS minister sweeping new powers and called for “genuine and meaningful consultation”.
The Senate inquiry into the NDIS bill is scheduled to report next week.
The Albanese Government wants its changes passed before Parliament’s winter break in a few weeks, but is facing opposition from the Coalition and Greens.
NDIS Minister Mark Butler told reporters earlier the government was carefully watching the inquiry, and its overhaul was “very carefully” thought through and outlined months ago at the National Press Club.
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State and territory disability ministers lash federal government’s NDIS changes (By Evan Young and Mary Lloyd, ABC News)
