Bill Shorten rules out expanding NDIS to more ADHD patients

The already spiralling National Disability Insurance Scheme will not expand its eligibility to include more people with ADHD as the government works to tighten its budget.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme will not be expanded to include more patients with ADHD as the Commonwealth works to get the scheme’s ballooning budget “back on track”.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten emphatically ruled out earlier reports that he was seeking advice on the inclusion of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder into category one of the scheme.

It’s understood the advice sought by Mr Shorten from the National Disability Insurance Agency was of a routine nature and will not support an expansion of eligibility.

Currently 3000 people with ADHD receive disability support under the scheme but it is understood many have a different primary disability while others have an extremely debilitating form of the disorder.

“The Government currently has no plans to make changes to the limited list of disabilities that grant someone automatic eligibility for the NDIS,” a spokesman for Mr Shorten said.

Bill Shorten. Picture: Gary Ramage

“NDIS participants must have one or more impairments that are likely to be permanent and this substantially impacts their ability to do daily life activities.

“People with ADHD can become NDIS participants if they meet the criteria of being permanently and significantly disabled and provide evidence showing they meet the requirements set out in the NDIS Act. This means the scheme is in place to support those who need it most.”

The spokesman said the government’s priority was getting the NDIS “back on track”.

“Labor is working to get the NDIS back on track for the people that need it, after a decade of Liberal mismanagement and neglect,” he said.

“The NDIS was never intended to replace other systems of support, such as health, education, aged care and other government services. Together they form our safety net ecosystem.”

Psychiatrist Tanvir Ahmed, who works closely with NDIS patients in the public sector, said expanding the scheme’s category one section to include more ADHD patients would be a “recipe for budgetary disaster”.

NDIS eligibility for patients with ADHD will not be expanded..

“For a program that is completely beyond its budget, this is a recipe for budgetary disaster. What we need is better access to psychiatrists and psychologists,” he said.

“NDIS is already proving to be one of the most expansive and expensive policy initiatives arguably in Australian government history.”