‘We die’: disabled voices warn against NDIS cuts
Morgan Reinwald and Andrew Brown |
A verbal agreement has been struck between Australia’s two major political parties to cut billions of dollars in funding to the disabled community.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor on Monday at Parliament House to discuss laws making significant changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
“I expect those changes will pass in this sitting fortnight, which will be important to make sure that it’s sustainable going forward,” the prime minister told a caucus meeting.
The reforms will slash $37.8 billion in funding to the program over four years and kick 160,000 people off the scheme, to not only hinder its growth at an unsustainable pace but also crack down on fraudulent activity.
It’s a move that has been sharply criticised by disability advocates.
“When people with disability do not have support, we become isolated, we experience harm, we die,” People with Disability Australia acting chief executive Megan Spindler-Smith said.
“The government has modelled what it expects to save. It has not modelled the losses”.
Speaking on a panel at the National Press Club on Monday, she was joined by Sophie Cusworth, head of Women With Disabilities Australia.
Ms Cusworth said the proposed cuts relate to community participation spending used by disabled people to access medical appointments, social activities and work.
“The government says this won’t affect participants’ health and safety. But for women with disability, that simply is not true,” Ms Cusworth said.
“More than half have experienced physical or sexual violence since the age of 15 … for us, social and community participation is a safeguard”.
Martin Laverty, a chief architect of the NDIS when it was established under Julia Gillard’s government, said dodgy claims made to the scheme were not the sole reason for its rising price tag.
“Fraud is not the reason for the cost blowout of the NDIS,” Mr Laverty said.
“Remember that the disability royal commission and its 222 recommendations, less than half have had any action taken against them”.
The 2023 royal commission he referenced suggested improvements to laws, policies, structures and practices that support disabled Australians.
Acknowledging the NDIS is fragmented, Mr Laverty proposed an inspector-general position be established to overlook the future of any new system as the federal government attempts to move people onto state-based schemes.
AAP