The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established with bipartisan support in 2013. It's one of Australia's most significant social policy achievements. However, the scheme's long-term sustainability can be guaranteed only if it is administered with integrity and transparency.
Responding to yesterday's announcement by the Minister for Health and NDIS Mark Butler, Independent Member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, is raising the alarm that the Albanese Government's proposed reforms will cause deep concern and uncertainty for people with disability, their families, carers and providers.
Dr Ryan: "Yesterday, the Minister for the NDIS said 'nothing about us without us', but people with disabilities, their families and carers heard about the government's cuts on the news. State and territory governments, providers and recipients have been blindsided by swingeing cuts to most facets of the scheme."
Most alarming for participants and their families is the news that around 160,000 of the 760,000 people currently supported by the NDIS may be removed from the scheme.
Dr Ryan said the scale of the proposed cuts risks undermining the very purpose of the NDIS: "Bill Shorten, the previous NDIS minister, frequently described the scheme as 'the only lifeboat in the ocean' for people with a disability. Now, one in five people on the NDIS are about to be thrown into the sea.
"Concerns are compounded by the absence of fully developed alternative supports. Foundational supports have yet to be agreed with states and territories, the Thriving Kids program has been deferred until 2028, and the proposed automated assessment tool has not been adequately tested, with its rollout postponed for another year."
Dr Ryan acknowledged the need to strengthen the integrity and sustainability of the NDIS.
"We all know the scheme must be protected from waste and exploitation," she said. "But responsibility for failures in oversight lies with government, not people with disability who rely on support to live independently and with dignity."
An independent review of the NDIS, delivered to government in 2023, made 26 evidence‑based recommendations to improve oversight, reduce administrative burden, regulate providers more effectively and ensure fair pricing. Many of these recommendations remain unimplemented.
Says Dr Ryan: "It is deeply troubling that the government is proposing large‑scale exclusions from the scheme before acting on its own expert advice. Reform should be evidence‑based and developed in partnership with the disability community.
"The NDIS does need reform. But this must be done transparently, guided by evidence, and in genuine consultation with the people whose lives depend on it, not by pushing vulnerable Australians out of the lifeboat."
