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.
NDIS
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.
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.
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.
As the NDIS booms, Bunnings spots a $2.1bn opportunity to cash in
Sturdy toilet seats are just the beginning as the hardware behemoth bets on us getting older and sicker.
Disability sector to flex poll muscles
The nation’s peak disability body is launching a campaign in marginal seats ahead of the election demanding the next prime minister reverse Anthony Albanese’s decision to absorb the NDIS portfolio into social services.
NDIS criteria must be tackled
The saving of more than $600m from the budget forecast for the National Disability Insurance Scheme during the first seven months of the financial year is an important first step.
NDIS to notch up $600m in savings
More than $600m has been shaved off the projected budget forecast for NDIS in the first seven months of the financial year despite almost 20,000 new participants joining the scheme in the past quarter alone.
‘No limits’: $44bn NDIS open to all disabilities
NDIS Minister Amanda Rishworth says there will be no tightening of what disabilities are eligible for the scheme despite the government facing a mammoth effort to rein in its costs, with Labor to instead launch a new review panel.
Put disabled in control to reduce the NDIS burden
The NDIS has been plagued by soaring costs and systemic inefficiencies, raising serious concerns about its integrity and impact on government finances while jeopardising public support.
Jones fourth Labor minister to quit
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has become the latest of a growing number of government ministers to quit politics, the 60-year-old making a shock announcement on Thursday.
Mikaela is exactly who the NDIS should be supporting. So why has it left her ‘stranded’?
Sixteen-year-old Mikaela Williams has quadriplegia. But the effort of learning to get on her feet and scoot around with assistance in a walker is nothing compared to navigating the NDIS.
Carer’s record fine after choking death
An NDIS provider has been hit with the highest-ever civil penalty by the Federal Court against a provider after a man choked to death.
Wells promoted to cabinet in Labor reshuffle
Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has been promoted to cabinet as part of a ministerial reshuffle, which has seen Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth allocated the critical NDIS portfolio.
Shorten makes shock decision on resignation
The NDIS minister will leave parliament weeks earlier than expected, raising expectations the Prime Minister will move for a quick cabinet reshuffle.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/topics/ndis