Labor’s plan to pass reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme are in doubt, as Coalition senators raise alarm over a lack of “detail or transparency” and consider moving amendments to key savings measures. Source: The Australian.
Ahead of the Labor-dominated committee releasing its recommendations to the government today, Coalition senators on the committee have compiled a list of concerns with the proposed legislation, which includes a failure to produce adequate modelling and properly tackle fraud.
Saying the need to make the NDIS financially sustainable is being used as “a guise” by Labor to enact far-reaching changes with little consultation, the Coalition will demand greater transparency on measures to save the scheme $185 billion over the next decade.
Changes to extraordinary new powers granted to the NDIS minister of the day are also expected to be demanded by the opposition, along with a reconsideration of cuts to “community and social participation supports”, which include services such as transport, sporting lessons and other activities.
NDIS Minister Mark Butler announced in April that as part of efforts to bring NDIS annual growth down to below 2 per cent in the forward estimates before normalising to 5 per cent in the 2030s, the current $12 billion spend on community and social supports would be reduced by about 50 per cent.
Despite supporting efforts to improve sustainability and integrity in the scheme, the Coalition will demand the government take into account the dire warnings contained in more than 4000 submissions to the inquiry that such a cut risks not only the safety of participants, but increased deaths among disabled people.
Noting the government had been unable to explain the reason for community and social support costs accelerating so significantly over the past five years, Coalition senators are expected to raise “a lack of clear evidence” in the proposed cuts and strategy for how disabled people would be otherwise cared for.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday said the government would “respond appropriately” to the warnings from witnesses to the inquiry and Coalition committee members, vowing to “treat the Senate with the respect that it deserves”.
FULL STORY
Coalition threatens to derail Labor’s NDIS reform over transparency fears (By Sarah Ison, The Australian)
