Future changes to NDIS not ruled out by Social Services Minister Dan Tehan
PEOPLE with autism could be restricted from accessing the NDIS after Social Services Minister Dan Tehan failed to rule out any future changes.
National
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SOCIAL Services Minister Dan Tehan has not ruled out future changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme that would restrict access to the scheme for Australians with autism.
It comes after The Australian reported at the weekend the agency which runs the NDIS is working on a secret plan to restrict access for autistic people by preventing them from qualifying “automatically” for the scheme.
The plan, being worked on by the National Disability Insurance Agency, is part of a wider move to rein in the costs of the $22 billion NDIS.
It would reportedly remove Level Two of three “levels” of autism from the list of conditions that automatically qualify for support.
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The Social Services Minister has written to organisations that support people with autism today advising them there has been no change to the current levels of access to the NDIS for people with autism.
“Everyone with autism who is eligible for the scheme will be provided the help and support they need,” Mr Tehan said during Question Time.
But the Minister said the way people accessed the NDIS was being reviewed as part of “ongoing work”, as recommended by the Productivity Commission.
He said no changes to access would be made “unless they are informed by research, evidence and extensive consultation with stakeholders and the community”.
“As the Treasurer has stated in his budget address, every dollar and every cent committed to delivering the NDIS remains in place and always will,” he said.
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About 142,000 Australians are currently accessing the NDIS, with the number of participants expected to rise to more than 460,000.
The percentage with autism has risen from 28 to 29 per cent in the past year.
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