Submission 271
Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill
I am a: Parent of an Autistic Deafblind teenage girl.
My connection to this issue:
I’ve been involved in the NDIS as a parent since it was rolled out ten years ago. I remember thinking — thank god — this will be there to support my child until she’s 65. The rhetoric of having choice and control over funding, and the government investing in early interventions to offset future costs, all made great sense to me.
Although my daughter will stay on the scheme, I am deeply concerned about the level of power this Bill gives to the Federal Minister for the NDIS, Mark Butler, to make sweeping changes without consultation or risk assessment. These cuts will have a huge impact, and public services including schools supporting disability have been underfunded for years. This will add further pressure to them and hurt families.
But what concerns me most is the power this gives whoever happens to be in government at the time — to make sweeping changes. If some minister decides hearing impairment is completely cured by hearing aids, BAM, there goes funding for speech therapy. If some minister decides Level 2 Autism can just be managed by teachers, BAM, there goes the ability to have knowledgeable Allied Health professionals advocate to schools and share reports that influence useful strategies. Maybe gene therapy comes in leaps and bounds and some minister decides that because it might prevent total blindness it cures all impacts of a degenerative eye condition — BAM, there goes Orientation and Mobility services.
My daughter has greatly benefitted from therapy and intervention services I was able to set up thanks to NDIS funding. She is functioning as well as she can because of all of that support.
It is heartbreaking for families dealing with complex diagnoses to have less security and less of a safety net because of this Bill.
The NDIS has been mismanaged — This has been glaringly obvious for years.. and for ten years the processes have needed attention. Yes, fraud has had an impact — but this is being used as a smokescreen to put in place legislation that is dangerous.
Submission 271
The Bill needs greater checks and balances, with provisions for community and expert consultation prior to any sweeping changes. The robo-planning with no process for review is extremely concerning.
According to a Per Capita report, the NDIS returns $2.25 for every $1 spent by reducing avoidable costs in social security, employment, housing, health and future NDIS support needs. Mark Butler is trying to push through legislation that destroys the safety net made for parents of children with complex disabilities.
I will die one day, and now I am not certain my daughter will be able to access the supports she needs. Is this what Australia is about?
What I want the committee to understand:
I want the committee to know that behind each participant number is a little face that needs our compassion and behind them are parents who have paid tax for years under the expectation that their government will help them access the help their child needs.
Families are already under so much strain- this scheme was one thing taken off their plate. I’ve been through it. I felt that safety net and I used it to connect with a team of amazing professionals that made a positive difference for my daughter.
This Bill risks the safety net for others being slashed.
I get that the NDIS needs improvement. I understand that lower-needs participants could be supported by other agencies — but can we consult experts, invest in and build the alternative infrastructure first?
Most importantly, giving a Minister the power to simply cut, say, 50% of all social participation budgets is fraught with problems. It will result in far-reaching impacts on the disabled community and their loved ones.
Fix the system — the processes are insane, and there is money to be made by taxing gas exports.
We have seen what happens when governments are given unchecked power to gut disability and social support systems. Trump’s sweeping DEI cuts in the United States stand as a stark warning: when protections are dismantled quickly and without consultation, the most vulnerable people bear the cost. Australia must not go down that path.
This Bill will go down in history — and it won’t be pretty.
Submission 271
CHECKS AND BALANCES NEEDED!!
● Slow the timeline; build the lifeboats first ● Ensure legislation does not allow artificial intelligence to replace lived experience and the wisdom of experienced professionals ● Build in a consultation and risk assessment process before any sweeping changes can be made ● Safeguard vulnerable Australians now and into the future from decisions made without adequate scrutiny
At the VERY LEAST put the brakes on this- give the community more time to prepare submissions. This is a tiny window and most in the community it will not have be able to access what they need to even make a submission!
I have never been so moved as to drop everything and write this today. As a Special Ed Teacher working in education for 20+ years I can tell you schools are not equipped to carry a greater load. The supports many students access because of their funding make a big difference to their day to day functioning. Schools are just not properly equipped. .. Build the life boats first.