National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 [Provisions]
Submission 195
Re: The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024
Attn. Legislative Affairs Committee Cc Rebekha.Sharkie.MP@aph.gov.au Cc MinisterHumanServices@sa.gov.au
Date: 16/05/2024 Dear
I am writing to you to express my concern about planned reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), as they articulated in The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024.
As a disabled person not on NDIS and don’t wish to, mother to a young disabled adult (19) on NDIS and sister to a psychosocial participant who passed away 1 year ago, I am genuinely scared for what is to become of NDIS. NDIS is already a shambles leaving many people without support because their plans have been severely cut and they wait several months to find out if their COC or S100 review has been accepted leading to no funds. No supports mean a severe reduction in capacity, losing their jobs and being unable to participate in their studies, poor mental health, what about if they’re a parent, how does that impact their family?
Situations like this should not be allowed to happen. This new legislation, this blank contract that will be filled in later after it has been signed is to make situations like this unreviewable and unaccountable. This is only the start of what’s to come, it can only get much worse if this is passed because it gives them and future goverments way too much power whilst disempowering people with disability. I introduce to you RoboNDIS bought to you by Bill Shorten, Disability minister of Liberal 2.0!
Do not believe the propaganda from the minister and the media who like to demonise disabled people and pretend Labor are doing what is best. This legislation is frightening, it goes against basic human rights and should not pass in its entirety.
The Reasonable and Neccasary criteria as it has been written from the introduction of NDIS needs to stay as it is, it protects human rights and is not hard to understand. Don’t let them tell you otherwise! NDIA have no excuse and if they just followed it and treated disabled people with dignity and empowerment there would be a lot less confusion across the board and therefore less problems. The problems with NDIS is not the old legislation, it is not the participants and their families but rather the fault of the goverments and the staff of NDIA. Right now they are gutting NDIS and harming people as I write this.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 [Provisions]
Submission 195
Re The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024
These reforms pose many risks to people with disability in Australia. Changes to the NDIS Act, for example that amend or remove government responsibility to provide access to reasonable and necessary disability supports, will disadvantage many disabled Australians; and prove more expensive in the long term as disability needs are neglected.
I am scared of the impact these changes will have on my Non-Binary Autistic/PDA 19 year old who is only just starting to come out of severe suicidal ideation, something that’s been going on for many years now. They also have an Autism profile known as Pathological Demand Avoidance which takes a very unique way of parenting and teaching, it effects their life greatly and can make learning, friendships and independence very hard for them. Trying to help them build capacity towards adulthood has been very difficult and required a lot of planning and out of box thinking. Someone like them you cannot just put in a one size fits all box. I am very scared that these changes will undo all the hard work that has been done. I do not want to watch them go through that again, this time I may lose my child!
The minister and the media like to demonise Autistic people but they take up only a small percentage of the total spend as outlined by Senator Hollie Hughes recently. Autistic people have high rates of other comorbilities compared to non-Autistics such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, mental health disorders, ME/CFS to name a few off the top of my head, yet are also treated poorly by mainstream services and to an extent NDIS services. The most valuable thing about our current legislation is it considers the whole person but this new legislation does the opposite. If you don’t treat the person as a whole you risk serious harm and loss of capacity and functioning.
Do you remember the independent assessments fiasco when the Morrison government was in power? Bill Shorten cried loudly about how bad this was, in fact we all did. But that legislation that the Morrison government wanted to pass is nothing compared to this one. This bill is a huge disaster, it is frightening and abusive. I am really really concerned what kind of culture there must be in government human services to allow for such a horrible bill.
The entire point of NDIS was the autonomy and empowerment of disabled people, this is key to improving outcomes. I would like to think that one day my 19yo would be able to manage their own plan and reap the benefits of the empowerment this gives, maybe even to a point they won’t need it as much at times. But this won’t be possible with this new degrading and micromanaging legislation. This government is way out of touch if it thinks that this bill is in any way acceptable. Have they learned nothing from Robodebt and the Disability Royal Commission? Please end this massive hypocrisy and abuse!
I am writing to ask you to STOP the changes to the NDIS Act (2013) going through until due diligence around Commonwealth government responsibility to disabled people has occurred.