Disability
Exclusive
Bill Shorten
‘No longer a problem child’: Shorten says he’s shored up NDIS beyond election
The outgoing minister has delivered parting words designed to defuse a political fight over the $47 billion program ahead of the federal election.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
Latest
Opinion
Healthcare
Every day, Jack dreads the phone call that could strip him of his new life
The first time I met Jack, he was asleep on a bench behind a train station. After three years of therapy, he now lives in his own unit and is tending his vegetable patch.
- by Muriel Cummins
Exclusive
Federal budget
NDIS gets $1b injection to slow growth even as budget slides into deficit
New ways of assessing people for NDIS support will add to a series of changes that are slowing growth of the $47 billion scheme but also revoking people’s plans at higher rates.
- by David Crowe and Natassia Chrysanthos
Families to keep music and art therapy funding as Shorten pauses cuts
The saga shows the sensitivity at play as the government introduces a raft of changes to bring down spending on one of its biggest expenses, forecast to cost $93 billion by 2033-34.
- by Natassia Chrysanthos
‘Women are putting male escorts on retainers’: Why more women are paying for sex
Historically, male escorts, particularly those who service women clients, have not been particularly visible. That’s slowly changing.
- by Lauren Ironmonger
Archie Roach didn’t get the chance. Now, music legends will perform on all levels
Part of Richmond’s Bakehouse Studios was inaccessible to Uncle Archie Roach before his final tour. Now a group of artists with disabilities is performing there.
- by Cassandra Morgan
Record number of children restrained, secluded in state schools
Almost 2700 students were restrained or secluded in Victorian state schools in 2023, a 46 per cent rise that experts say is deeply concerning.
- by Caroline Schelle
This therapy is helping Max walk. Its funding is about to be cut
The federal government’s proposed changes to NDIS funding for art and music therapy have left parents furious and others questioning efforts to rein in the $42 billion scheme.
- by Angus Thomson and Natassia Chrysanthos
Exclusive
Courts
Cats donors accused of $14.5m fraud against NDIS provider have assets frozen
A former IT manager is accused in court papers of helping orchestrate a huge fraud. Two days after his arrest, he was tossing the coin before an AFL game.
- by Cameron Houston
‘The worst thing is losing your hands’: Hanif Kureishi on life as a tetraplegic
The British Pakistani author shares how his world has changed since the accident that left him paralysed below the neck.
- by Mick Brown
After being diagnosed with MS at 32, Tim has found lots to laugh about
Comedian and director Tim Ferguson started experiencing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis at 16. Since then, he’s learnt about the power of optimism.
- by Brooke Campbell Bayes
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/disability-5wa