NDIS needs to be fraud-proofed
Sloppy administration harms vulnerable people and taxpayers.
NDIS
Disability provider’s practices exposed
NDIS provider Cocoon SDA Care, co-founded by a former bankrupt, charged for services never provided and stalled on repaying. It left a man with disabilities confined to his home, whistleblowers say.
Broker ‘swindled NDIS clients out of $700,000’
A Sydney mortgage broker alleged to have swindled more than $700,000 from unsuspecting clients through the National Disability Insurance Scheme may face further charges, with police confirming additional alleged victims have come forward.
Strife for NDIS provider co-founded by former bankrupt businessman
A disability care business servicing some of the most vulnerable people in Australia is in turmoil, staff walk out, as it faces a federal investigation into taxpayer funding.
Court orders handover of suitcase full of cash seized from NDIS developer
When police raided the house of failed NDIS developer David McWilliams, they found a suitcase containing $112k in ‘casino winnings’. Now it’s been handed to ALAMMC group’s receiver.
Border Force collects illegal arrivals landed on remote northern beach
The Australian understands the five men, whose country of origin and reason for travelling to Australia were unclear, were discovered by a commercial helicopter pilot after they had scrawled SOS in the sand.
Defence of the nation primary responsibility of our government
The first responsibility of a national government is the security of the nation. The Labor government has shown it is incapable of this and makes false promises of increased defence funding.
‘Better ways’ to spend NDIS $230bn: expert
Governments should put a ‘ceiling’ on National Disability Insurance Scheme costs. An expert reveals how kids with autism and less-profound disabilities could still be supported.
Dutton pledges no tightening of NDIS eligibility
Peter Dutton said he would not tighten access to the scheme to ensure NDIS funding targets were met or exceeded, if he became prime minister.
The brokers who made millions from bogus NDIS projects
Dodgy NDIS housing developers spent millions living the high life before running afoul of regulators. But court documents show brokers also made a motza along the way. Here’s how it worked.
NDIS housing funds ‘blown on cars, casino, crypto’
A receivers’ report into David McWilliams’ ALAMMC Developments paints a damning picture of the wild west of NDIS housing investment, where dodgy developers have been allowed to roam free and prey on investors.
Our welfare addiction is killing Australia
It’s self-evidently a good thing to help genuinely disabled people. Australians don’t begrudge that. But the NDIS is perhaps the worst designed public policy initiative in Australian history.
Two-year wait for autism diagnosis hurts children’s future
The earlier an autistic child is diagnosed, the better their long-term outcomes. So why are initial diagnoses taking longer and longer?
Scare campaigns, economic failure Labor trademarks
There are now two sacred cows on the Australian political scene, Medicare and the NDIS.
NDIS participants want safety, quality … and choice
Mandatory registration of disability service providers sounds simple, until you factor in the effect on free choice, costs and red tape.
Expansive reform must be budget focus, not an option
The budget in reply on Thursday will reveal whether Labor will be countered by a Coalition with a reformist agenda of substance.
Disability in dark with no details
Peak disability bodies have raised alarm with the lack of clarity in the budget around the new system of supports Labor has promised for those with milder disabilities.
Labor’s cradle-to-grave push may bury bottom line
What was once a targeted system of support for pensions and unemployment benefits is now a new social order where taxpayers fund demand-driven services such as childcare and the NDIS.
NDIS cost soars to $63bn as growth pulls back
Cost growth in one of the budget’s biggest spending programs, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, is slowing, but the 8 per cent projected annual rises will still see hefty increases.
How an NDIS housing provider blew millions
NDIS housing provider Saorsa Health spent millions of dollars of investor money on international travel, credit cards and even a Cambodian dairy farm, a liquidator’s report shows.
NDIS reined in but aged care left wanting
Health is a significant focus for the government as it delivers its re-election budget and is hoping cheaper medicines and more bulk billed trips to the doctor will be enough to sway votes.
Senator breaks down over son’s future
Senator Hollie Hughes has broken down in the Senate while talking about struggles with the ‘flawed design’ of the NDIS and its impact on her child, who lives with a disability.
Autistic children ‘left in limbo’, parents fear
State and federal governments are locked in talks over which disability services will be covered by the NDIS and which won’t. Meanwhile, disabled kids and their parents are caught in the middle.
‘More can be done:’ Coalition eyes NDIS cuts
With the Coalition attacking Labor for increased spending, finance spokesman Jane Hume has eyed further cuts to stop the ballooning disability scheme.
We love to hate it, but truth is we should be proud of the NDIS
The NDIS is an easy target. It isn’t perfect, but it’s so much better than not having an NDIS. Time for some rational discussion and dealing with the real issues and not the political ones.
Coalition vows to reduce spiralling costs of $44bn NDIS
The ballooning cost of the NDIS remains ‘out of control’, opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume warns, as Peter Dutton foreshadows a ‘big announcement’ in his budget reply speech. (Live blog – closed)
NDIS says no to giving Finley new voice
Thousands of claims just like Finley Coll’s are being fought in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal by people with a disability. There can be ‘long, crazy process’ before that happens.
NDIS blowout a reminder of government inefficiency
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the National Disability Insurance Scheme represents a flashing neon billboard along the way.
Time to cut wasteful hidden fees from the NDIS
Trailing fees and exorbitant hourly costs must be excised from the NDIS to make more money available for those who need it, says a pioneer of the scheme.
NDIS spends $1bn-plus on fees for middlemen managers
Billions of dollars a year in NDIS funding is being soaked up by middlemen plan managers and support co-ordinators who are arguably no longer necessary and drain taxpayer funds that should be spent directly on people with disabilities.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/topics/ndis