Disability advocates say parliament should “rip up” the new NDIS bill
PWDA has urged Parliament to reject a Bill cutting $17 billion from the NDIS, warning it would shift disability care onto an unready “Foundational Supports” system.
People with Disability Australia (PWDA) wants Parliament to vote down a new law that would change the NDIS. PWDA’s Acting CEO, Megan Spindler-Smith, made the call at the National Press Club on Monday, 10 August. Dozens of people living with disability, along with representatives from disability organisations, joined her, carrying signs about what the NDIS has meant for their lives.
PWDA says the Government is choosing to cut what NDIS participants receive, instead of fixing the problems in the system that runs and oversees it.
What the Bill would change
The Bill is reported to cut around $17 billion from the NDIS. It would make it easier for the Government to limit or change what supports people get, and it would shift some responsibility for disability care onto the states and territories, through a new system called “Foundational Supports” that isn’t running yet.
Spindler-Smith didn’t hold back: “This Bill is not reasonable. It is not necessary. This Bill must not pass.”
Why PWDA is against it
The Government’s own review of the NDIS points to the real problems: weak administration, inconsistent decisions, weak regulation, and providers taking advantage of the system. PWDA says the answer is to fix those things, not cut supports for people who rely on them.
Who’s affected
PWDA’s Interim President, Jarrod Sandell-Hay, said the changes would turn the NDIS “from a rights-based scheme, where reasonable and necessary supports are funded, to a scheme that will, at best, only respond when people living with disability and families are in crisis.”
Jane Britt, a deafblind NDIS participant, said the supports at risk, including mobility cane training and assistive technology, let her live safely and take part in her community, including singing in two choirs. “My fear is that as my vision deteriorates, the supports I rely on to work and be part of my community won’t be there,” she said. “The consequences of this Bill won’t be lived by you. They’ll be lived by people like me.”
What happens next
More than 6,000 Australians have already made submissions to a Senate Inquiry into the Bill. On 5 August, the Australian Human Rights Commission publicly urged the Government to “hit pause” on the reform. The Government still hasn’t formally responded to the Independent Review of the NDIS.
Spindler-Smith’s message to Parliament was direct: “The disability community is united. The evidence could not be clearer. Parliament should not pass this Bill.”