Category Archives: National disability insurance scheme

Almost 145,000 Australians will lose support for autism under NDIS reforms, documents reveal

Posted on by

Internal estimates show 144,600 people will be taken off the scheme by 2030, many of them under 18

Almost 145,000 Australians receiving support for autism on the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) are expected to be removed by the end of the decade, internal estimates show, as the federal government moves ahead with plans to narrow the focus of the “diluted” $52bn scheme toward those with significant and complex needs.

From 2028, almost two-thirds of the 241,000 participants set to lose access to the NDIS will be aged 18 or under, health department documents released to Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws show.

Continue reading...

Angus Taylor using NDIS cuts as ‘pawn in bigger chess game’, Mark Butler warns

Posted on by

Opposition and Greens could team up to extend inquiry into changes but health minister ‘utterly convinced’ federal government’s plan is right

Mark Butler has doubled down on his plans to pass contentious NDIS changes as early as this month, warning the opposition against using the bill as a “pawn in a bigger chess game” as they consider a potential deal with the Greens.

The Coalition and the Greens have criticised Labor’s truncated timeline to pass NDIS, negative gearing and capital gains changes, and have signalled they could team up against the government in the Senate to extend inquiries into the bills.

Continue reading...

NDIS changes ‘retrogressive’ and out of step with review, MPs say

Posted on by

Report by Labor-led joint human rights committee says cuts to the $50bn scheme could limit support for those in need

Sweeping changes to the NDIS appear “retrogressive” and lack alignment with a landmark independent review to improve the $50bn-a-year scheme, a Labor-led committee has found.

The 57-page scrutiny report from the joint human rights committee, released on Friday, examined the proposed changes under the Albanese government ahead of a separate report due next week by a Senate inquiry. The Labor-chaired committee questioned the human rights implications of winding back access for more than 200,000 participants in the coming years, which could leave many without sufficient disability support.

Continue reading...

Labor’s NDIS overhaul faces delay as Coalition and Greens consider teaming up to slow bill’s passage

Posted on by

Government hopes to rush NDIS and tax changes through parliament but opposition and crossbench push for more scrutiny

The Greens want Labor to halt its plans to rush NDIS cuts through the Senate later this month, urging a longer inquiry process as the government seeks the minor party’s support for its contentious tax and housing changes.

It opens the possibility of the Greens and Coalition teaming up in parliament to support extending separate Senate inquiries into both the changes to the national disability insurance scheme and tax proposals, thereby delaying Labor’s hopes of passing those bills before the end of June.

Continue reading...

NDIS cuts could leave some participants with a funding gap. How will the changes affect you?

Posted on by

Proposals also grant the health minister power to change disability support rules without state or territory approval. Here’s what you need to know

Funding for some services within the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be slashed – even in cases where participants could be left with a funding gap – as part of a sweeping proposal to drastically curb the scheme’s annual growth.

The proposed changes, revealed on Thursday, will also grant the health minister, Mark Butler, god-like powers to reduce overall funding for support categories, determine pricing guides and caps for services and support, and the ability to change NDIS rules without state and territory approval for the first 12 months.

Continue reading...

Huge cuts to national disability insurance scheme aim to save more than $36bn in budget’s largest single measure

Posted on by

NDIS changes foreshadowed by health minister Mark Butler will drastically reduce access to the scheme, with nearly 700 staff positions to go at NDIA

The government expects to recoup $36.2bn by curbing the national disability insurance scheme’s growth over the next four years as it looks to return to the NDIS’s “original purpose” of supporting people with “significant and permanent disability”.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the budget’s savings package amounted to genuine economic reform, beyond the “usual nips and tucks”.

Continue reading...

Susan was forced out of a disability support job after speaking out. Are NDIS whistleblower laws still too weak?

Posted on by

Human rights lawyers say NDIS workers and their clients remain at risk despite newly bolstered whistleblower protections

When Susan* came across wrongdoing at her disability support provider, she faced a choice.

Say nothing, and allow her highly vulnerable clients to be put at serious risk.

Continue reading...

NDIS plans will be computer-generated, with human involvement dramatically cut under sweeping overhaul

Posted on by

Exclusive: Staff were told of major changes to the way NDIS funding and support plans will be made during a recent internal briefing

Funding and support plans for national disability insurance scheme participants will be generated by a computer program and staff will have no discretion to amend them, under a major overhaul of the NDIS to be rolled out next year, Guardian Australia can reveal.

Under the changes, human involvement in deciding support for NDIS participants will be dramatically reduced.

Continue reading...

Not-for-profit disability services are closing due to untenably low price caps, NDIS architect warns

Posted on by

Providers report a median operating loss of nearly 4% in the last financial year – with losses totalling about 12% over five years

Not-for-profit disability services that support some of the most vulnerable Australians are being forced to close and exit the national disability insurance scheme because of untenably low price caps for NDIS services, one of the architects of the scheme has warned.

“For some years, many of us in the sector have been telling the National Disability Insurance Agency that flaws in their pricing are contributing to not-for-profit registered providers of disability services going broke,” warned Martin Laverty, who is now the CEO of not-for-profit disability provider Aruma.

Continue reading...

State disability ministers threaten Butler with boycott over two-minute speaking limit at NDIS meeting

Posted on by

Ministers say they will reconsider their attendance at the meeting if they get at least 10 minutes each

State and territory disability ministers have threatened to boycott an upcoming NDIS meeting with the Albanese government after being given just two minutes to contribute to discussions.

In a joint letter from all jurisdictions sent on Thursday to the health and disability minister, Mark Butler, and the NDIS minister, Jenny McAllister, ministers warned they were “no longer able to confirm” their attendance at the meeting next Friday unless given the opportunity to “meaningfully contribute”.

Continue reading...

Melbourne woman’s fight to keep NDIS support raises legal questions about agency’s ‘troubling’ processes

Posted on by

Tribunal decision for 54-year-old Veronica Stephan-Miller suggests onus of proof should be on NDIA, not recipient, before revoking benefits

A tribunal has questioned whether it is lawful for the National Disability Insurance Agency to require that participants provide renewed evidence of their eligibility before revoking their access, describing the approach as “troubling”.

The Administrative Review Tribunal on Wednesday granted a 54-year-old Melbourne woman with disability, Veronica Stephan-Miller, the right to continue accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme while she appealed against the agency’s decision last year to remove her from it.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Bill Shorten accuses Greens of NDIS misinformation as he tries to reassure participants over new laws

Posted on by

NDIS minister says participants will still be able to request funding for support that is not on approved list if it is genuinely needed

The national disability insurance scheme minister, Bill Shorten, has assured participants that under Labor’s changes, support not on a list of approved items could still be accessed if it is genuinely needed.

The comments come as the Greens and disability advocacy groups warn a draft list outlining which supports and services can be funded, and which ones cannot, will leave some participants worse off.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Albanese given taxpayer-funded legal help after defamation threat from John Margerison

Posted on by

Attorney general approves legal assistance ‘in relation to a defamation claim’ made against PM, along with approval for claims against Bill Shorten

The attorney general has approved legal assistance for Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten in relation to defamation threats by a business associate of the former Liberal minister Stuart Robert.

On 12 August Mark Dreyfus approved assistance “in relation to a defamation claim” made against the prime minister on 23 July and for defamation claims on 23 and 25 July against Shorten, the government services and national disability insurance scheme minister, according to documents tabled to parliament.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Coalition claims Labor education reforms a ‘school funding war’; NZ bushwalker’s body recovered from Tasmania hiking trail

Posted on by

Follow the day’s news live

Murray Watt says advice needed from administrators to determine government support amid administration

Murray Watt, the newly-appointed minister for workplace relations, also weighed in on the Rex Airlines administration on ABC RN just earlier.

In terms of equity stakes or other financial government support, we’ll make those decisions once the situation becomes clearer through the administrator.

This would only be activated if the company is unable to repay entitlements to any workers who are retrenched, and let’s hope it may not get to that.

But also, our department would be providing employment support to workers who do lose their job to ensure that they can get back into work as quickly as possible.

Continue reading...

Labor-led committee raises human rights concerns over NDIS bill as Shorten blasts delays

Posted on by

Minister says more consultation with states would be a ‘circle-jerk’ after Coalition and Greens team up to delay vote on NDIS reforms until late August

A Labor-chaired parliamentary committee has flagged human rights concerns with the Albanese government’s proposed changes to the national disability insurance scheme, warning some aspects may not be “sufficiently flexible” and others not in line with international human rights law.

The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, used a press conference on Thursday evening to attack the opposition and the Greens after the unlikely alliance teamed up to send the NDIS reform bill back to a committee until early August.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia politics live: Julian Assange leaves Belmarsh prison after plea deal and will return to Australia, WikiLeaks says

Posted on by

WikiLeaks X account has tweeted that ‘Julian Assange is free’. Follow today’s news headlines live

‘It’s just a lazy delay’

Bill Shorten says a further delay of the Senate vote on the NDIS bill won’t actually lead to any changes:

There’s no good reason on God’s green earth to have another eight weeks of review, which isn’t actually eight weeks.

There won’t be a whole lot of new submissions come in, there won’t be some brand new arguments not considered.

I’m horrified after 12 months of reviewing the NDIS and then another six months of discussing the review including [in] the last three a Senate committee having public hearings calling for submissions.

The opposition has used words never ever said before by them.

Continue reading...

Bill Shorten ‘horrified’ after Coalition and Greens team up and propose delay to NDIS bill

Posted on by

Greens leader Adam Bandt accuses Labor of wanting to make ‘cuts to services’ for disabled people

Bill Shorten has accused the Coalition of a “disingenuous” and “lazy” decision on NDIS reforms, after the opposition proposed to team up with the Greens to delay a bill set to save at least $15m a day.

But the minister for government services’ plea to pass the bill before parliament’s winter break has been rebuffed by the Greens leader, Adam Bandt, who said it was “appalling” Labor wanted to make “cuts to services” to disabled people.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Shadow energy minister says system in ‘dire trouble’ – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed.

Australia needs more gas supply on east coast, Albanese says

Anthony Albanese is speaking to the ABC from Devonport.

We’ll work those issues through with Aemo.

We need more gas supply. We announced our future gas strategy a short while ago because we understand that we need more supply. Gas has an important role to play in manufacturing in particular. But also in providing firming capacity for the renewables rollout.

Continue reading...

Experts hope AI tool can cut use of restraints and seclusion on NDIS participants

Posted on by

Program aims to help create better disability support plans to guide carers and support workers’ response to challenging behaviour

Australian researchers hope a new AI-supported educational program will help reduce the use of restraints and seclusion on people with disability.

The Promoting Positive Behaviour Support Practice program is designed to help practitioners create safer, respectful, constructive plans to guide carers and support workers’ responses to challenging behaviour.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Andrew Hastie warns of ‘breakouts of strategic disorder’ across globe; high court gives government win in ‘steering wheel’ visa case

Posted on by

High court rules in favour of Andrew Giles in long-running case featuring a ‘bizarre’ photo of a signed ministerial brief next to a steering wheel. Follow today’s news live

‘Aid workers are to be protected’

Penny Wong was also asked to provide an update on the work done by Mark Binskin so far, who was appointed special adviser on Israel’s response to the deaths of World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom.

There are positive engagements and we appreciate that this is a very important issue for Australia. We have been saying for a very long time it is important that international humanitarian law be adhered to.

Under international humanitarian law, as you know, aid workers are to be protected. Demonstrably, there was a deadly failure of deconfliction – deconfliction being the ways in which making sure that defence forces are aware of where humanitarian workers are so they can be protected and there was a deadly failure.

We’ve made no such decision, the discussion I want to have is to look at what is happening in the international community where there is the very important debate about how it is we secure long-lasting peace in a region where which has known so much conflict.

Continue reading...