Australian federal budget reveals $468m to get NDIS ‘back on track’

Australians are outraged after it was announced that millions of dollars will be spent in getting the NDIS back on its feet. See their reactions and have your say.

Australians have mixed reviews about the federal government’s budget plans concerning the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Many are outraged at the millions being poured into the initiative while others argued it was not enough.

Some readers of this masthead commented it was about time that something was done to stop the “rorting” of the system, with one saying: “Our taxpayer money is needed elsewhere”.

Another argued it was a “joke”, saying: “We’ve all been watching the waste for years, but, now he wants to spend another half a billion to GET IT RIGHT? (sic)”.

While one reader, who said she was a mother caring for a child with a disability was appalled by people’s “uniformed” comments.

“I continuously find all the comments uninformed and absolutely disheartening. As a mother of a child with a severe disability, I certainly do not rort the system. We struggle to get all the required therapies funded (& are almost 59% short),” she commented.

“It makes me sad that people with no experience of the system make these judgements. I feel sorry for the world my son will have to try and conform to one day. I hate to think of some of the people he will come up against, including the one ‘gentleman’ who told me last year I should just put my beautiful, loving boy in the bin. Absolutely disgusting pockets of society.”

$468M TO STOP DODGY NDIS THERAPY RORTS AND FRAUD

A $45m independent body will be set up to investigate and clarify what therapies are “reasonable and necessary” on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, ending years of confusion for claimants.

Millions more dollars will also be spent to revise NDIS pricing, amid growing evidence of providers taking advantage of participants and taxpayer funding.

The measures are part of a $468m budget package the government hopes will get the NDIS “back on track”.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten.

They come on top of $732m spent last year and $511m in the Mid-Year Economic Financial Outlook. It is hoped the reforms will soften the cost of NDIS payments, which are estimated to jump by $14.4bn in just four years.

From the $468m package, more than $45m will be spent on an NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee – a key recommendation of the independent NDIS review – to build more evidence about which therapies work for participants.

The aim of the committee will be to provide “independent and transparent advice”. It will also ensure the supports funded under the scheme are “beneficial, safe, evidence-based and cost-effective”.

The move will be welcomed by many, as for years the phrase “reasonable and necessary” has caused confusion among claimants and providers.

Facebook groups for NDIS participants and their carers are full of posts asking advice around whether a therapeutic service is OK to claim, often receiving conflicting answers.

Last year, it was found that some NDIS providers were offering alternative type therapies – including tarot card readings – which NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said did not pass the pub test.

Millions of dollars will also be spent to revise NDIS pricing.

“We have seen too many times what can go wrong when therapies are used that have no evidence they will work,” Mr Shorten said.

Meanwhile, the government is set to begin preliminary work on possible NDIS pricing function reforms to “strengthen transparency, predictability and alignment”.

The government will then look at whether the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority, which already advises on pricing for hospitals and aged care, should also provide advice on NDIS prices.

The papers also reveal $160m will be spent over four years upgrading the watchdog’s IT systems to better protect NDIS participants and improve cyber security, and $83.9m will be spent over two years to boost fraud detecting systems at the agency.

Services Australia will get $23.5m over two years to continue fraud investigation, as part of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce.

And another $129m will be spent over two years on design and consultation work to respond to findings of the Independent NDIS Review.

El Gibbs from the Disability Advocacy Network Australia said she was pleased to see money in the budget for children needing support in education, but had hoped there would be something “substantial” help stop the violence and abuse of people with a disability.

A $45m independent body will be set up to investigate and clarify what therapies are “reasonable and necessary” on the NDIS.

El Gibbs, Director, Policy and Advocacy, Disability Advocacy Network Australia.

A helpline to report abuse and neglect will get $2.6m in additional support.

Ms Gibbs said the way forward was to provide more housing options for people with a disability.

“Right now we are having a national conversation about violence against women,” Ms Gibbs said.

“But for 4½ years (during the royal commission), people with a disability and their families talked about the worst things that ever happened to them.

“It’s time for a response and for that response to be substantial.”

SECURITY GUARD BOOST AFTER NEAR FATAL ATTACK

More than 600 security guards will be hired to protect staff working at Services Australia offices following a near fatal attack on a worker last year.

The government will be pouring in $314m to boost safety and security measures, in addition to the $47m given to the sector last year.

The funding comes after a Services Australia staff member was physically attacked in May 2023, which prompted a review of security by former Victorian police commissioner Graham Ashton.

As part of the review’s 44 recommendations, additional funding will go towards employing up to 606 security guards and establishing a centralised security operations centre, with live monitoring capabilities.

The money will also help improve the design of an additional 35 service centres at risk of “high levels of customer aggression”.

Services Australia will receive $1.8bn over three years as part of a package funding an extra 7560 public servants to “help reduce claim processing times, call wait times and increase support for Australians impacted by an emergency, crisis or vulnerability”, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said.

The myGov service will receive an extra $630m over four years and an ongoing $145m a year.

Originally published as Australian federal budget reveals $468m to get NDIS ‘back on track’