What to expect from the new Federal Budget as a person with disability

Key points

• Disability organisations are hopeful that pre-submission recommendations will be accepted in the soon-to-be-released Federal Budget 
• Requests from National Disability Services included increased funding for supported employment for people with disability
• When discussing the Energy Bill Relief package, which benefits people on Carers’ Allowance, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently said that “families will, again, be front and centre in our thinking”

Many organisations are hopeful that, when Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivers the 2024 – 2025 Federal Budget, accepted recommendations for budget allocation will help improve the lives of people with disability. 

The Federal Budget will be available online on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 7:30pm (AEST).

Some organisations provided input for the Australian Government to review when creating this year’s annual budget. National Disability Services, which engages with disability providers, has presented five main recommendations for the 2024 – 2025 Budget which are: 

• sector support for transformation;
• enhanced social procurement from supported employment services;
• sector support for industrial relations reform;
• the implementation of safeguarding initiatives;
• enhanced cybersecurity awareness and capabilities.

Regarding sector support for transformation, one recommendation from National Disability Services is that one billion dollars should be allocated to ‘boost NDIS services and rollout measures to support transformation over the next five years.’

However, the Australian Government previously established that at least five years’ worth of funding would be allocated to the NDIS. According to last year’s Federal Budget, the Australian Government has committed ‘[…] a total of approximately $910 million over five years to improve the effectiveness and delivery of the NDIS for people with disability.’

National Disability Services also called for $50,000 dollars to ‘highlight the social impact value of supported employment services.’ Not only would this funding help National Disability Services understand how to best extend the reach of supported employment services such as BuyAbility, but this may help people with disability who want to work or find employment, according to National Disability Services. 

According to NSW Health, there are many benefits to hiring people with disability which can include increased morale in the workplace, different methods of solving problems and greater levels of teamwork and cohesion. 

To read National Disability Services’ full submission to the Australian Government, head over to the NDS website for the complete document. 

People With Disability Australia also submitted their requests to the Australian Government for consideration before the release of this year’s Federal Budget. 

Some of People With Disability Australia’s requests for the 2024 – 2025 Federal Budget include:

• including people with disability during the reform of agendas and relevant implementation through formal methods;
• ensuring that individual advocacy support funding is made available for people with disability;
• increasing JobSeeker payments to help people afford essentials at the current inflation levels;
• making it easier for people with disability to access appropriate housing through methods such as increasing the Commonwealth Rent Assistance rate.

The full submission from People With Disability Australia is available for review online. 

In addition to possible modifications regarding disability funding to this year’s Budget, it’s expected that some aspects could remain similar to previous years.

It’s expected that the current Energy Bill Relief package is likely to continue in the upcoming budget. Recently, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his understanding of the positive impact that this allocation had on five million families. 

“Our government understands that for small business — as for Australian families — energy bills remain a source of financial pressure.

“[…] As we put together next month’s budget, small businesses and families will, again, be front and centre in our thinking,” said Prime Minister Albanese. 

Some people who are eligible for the Energy Bill Relief package include those currently receiving Carers Allowance. To check your eligibility and how it works, head to this webpage on the Australian Government website. 

To read last year’s Final Budget Outcome Report, visit this document.

The Victorian Government recently announced its annual State Budget with funding allocations including:

• $47 million dollars to ‘support the health and independence of people with disability, including additional help for people with complex needs, support for people who are not eligible for the NDIS, specialised family support for parents and children with a disability and additional autism assessment grants’
• $15 million dollars ‘for the Accessible Buildings Program to make our schools more accessible for students with disability, including ramps and handrails, bathroom modifications and technology for students with vision or hearing loss’

The Victorian Government’s budget overview can be accessed online. 

What do you hope will be in the 2024/2025 Federal Budget?

Let the team at Talking Disability know on social media. 

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