New report reveals how whopping NDIS budget can be slashed by a billion

It’s the biggest strain on the government’s budget bottom line — but now a new report has revealed how the NDIS budget could be reigned in.

A billion dollars could be shaved off the soaring budget of the NDIS if just 20 per cent of Australians with moderate intellectual disabilities were employed, a new report on the troubled agency’s finances has found.

For every Australian with a moderate level of intellectual disability got a job, it would save the NDIS $17,000 per person each year, the report commissioned by JobSupport found.

Over 40 years, that would equal in a billion dollars in savings for the scheme that has consistently been a budget strain for the federal government.

The scheme is forecasted to reach almost $100bn in spending in the next 10 years and currently costs the government $42bn.

About 16,500 working age Australians currently living with a moderate intellectual disability.

Jobsupport chief executive Phil Tuckerman said employment for people with disabilities could provide a number of benefits beyond budgetary relief.

The report has revealed how up to a billion dollars could be shaved off the NDIS budget. Picture: Supplied

“Finding a mainstream job for someone with MID provides so many benefits including a career for them, ensuring they remain a socially connected part of our community, reducing the financial burden on the taxpayer, while providing hardworking, stable and loyal staff for employers,” he said.

“Open employment is a pathway that proves to be much less costly for taxpayers than traditional supported employment, and much less expensive than typical NDIS packages.”

The National Disability Insurance Agency requires participants to include employment goals to their management plans but Mr Tuckerman said more can be done to maximise the benefits of employment.

“A significant number of employers already provide jobs for Australians with MID, and successive governments in Canberra have supported MID (mild intellectual disability) programs over many years,” he said.

“The opportunity is now there to do more, and save up to $1 billion in taxpayer funding in doing so.”

Childcare assistant Anna Chan works in Concord in Sydney’s west and has been employed for 40 years.

“Having a job has helped me make friends. It’s helped me manage my money, which I use to pay my bills, but I also like to buy clothes and makeup, and go on holidays overseas,” she said.

“I feel proud of myself for having a job for so long.”