Annual Report No. 2 of the 48th Parliament

Submission 14

Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced Labour’s annual budget which included significant National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) cuts.

This will cost us (I just don’t know how to prove it).

Currently, individuals eligible for the NDIS may use these vital funds for services like cooking, cleaning, therapy, support work, devices to assist with their activities of daily living like wheelchairs, hoists, among other things essential for their quality of life.

According to The ABC, there are currently 760,000 NDIS participants in Australia, and allegedly this number will reduce to 600,000 following promised NDIS funding cuts. These cuts are forecast to “Save us 36 billion dollars”. Who exactly will these saved dollars land in the pockets of? Not disabled Australians, that’s for sure.

The NDIS cuts will leave 160,000 disabled Australians without any NDIS entitlements, and more people with decreased payments. That could mean that 160,000 people will create more of a burden on the healthcare system, with more frequent Ambulance callouts and Emergency Department presentations. It could also look like friends or family needing to take more sick leave to care for loved ones, which will decrease productivity of the nation.

It’s ironic, really, that disability is one of the only marginalised group that any of us can join, at any time, and it could happen for any number of reasons.

I think that taking away vital funds from one of our nations most vulnerable groups of people is utter selfishness disguised as economic growth.

NDIS cuts are bandaid solution to a bullet wound of a problem, whereby our money will continue to haemorrhage elsewhere.

Finally to quote Betoota advocate of all sources; “we could’ve just taxed gas”.