A new government initiative promises to reduce the number of participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), to slow the growth of the scheme and make the NDIS more sustainable.
What are those changes, and how will they impact Australians living with MS?
Australia’s Minister for Disability and the NDIS, and for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, delivered a major address at the National Press Club on 20 August, announcing changes that promise to return the NDIS to its original purpose.
He began his remarks with a promise to those Australians who are currently on the NDIS, acknowledging that,
“As the Minister for Disability and for the scheme, it’s my duty to ensure that you receive the support and the care that you need to create a life of equality and independence. It’s a duty that I take seriously and I intend to fulfil.“
The sustainability of the NDIS has long been a focus of the Albanese Government since its first term, and it was a key issue raised by Mr Butler at the Press Club.
There are currently 740,000 participants on the scheme, with that number expected to reach 1 million by 2034. And while growth has been curtailed in recent years, to around 8% according to the Mr Butler, he made clear that the current level of growth is unsustainable, with the Government aiming for a growth target closer to 4% to 5% and in line with Productivity Commission recommendations.
To that end, Mr Butler announced a new $2 billion Commonwealth initiative to be co-funded by the States and Territories. The Thriving Kids program is to be created for children with mild to moderate developmental delays or autism.
The new program is scheduled to begin in mid-2026, and once fully rolled out, access and eligibility changes will be made to the NDIS.
What do the new changes mean for the MS community?
While the community we serve, people living with MS, are our priority, we stand in support of all Australians with disability, and champion their rights to access the disability supports and services they require.
Mr Butler claims the proposed access and eligibility changes will rein in the rapid expansion of the NDIS and better guarantee the sustainability of a vital scheme that so many Australians with disability rely on.
In turn, the establishment of the Thriving Kids program, will, according to Mr Butler, ensure that the large number of children with mild to moderate developmental delays or autism who entered the scheme because mainstream supports were not available, continue to receive the supports they need under the new initiative.
Other matters raised
In addition to an emphasis on sustainability, the desire to restore the Scheme to its original intent to support people with significant and permanent disability, and the new Thriving Kids program, Mark Butler reiterated a commitment to:
- tackling fraud and greater regulation of providers,
- co-design with the establishment of a new NDIS Reform Advisory to advise on matters including responses to the NDIS Review and the Disability Royal Commission.
A word of caution
Positive progress, as always, relies not on words on a page, but rather in the detail, and ultimately, in the implementation.
Australia’s peak disability body, the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), has urged the Government to consult widely and genuinely with people with disability and their representative organisations to ensure no Australian with disability is disadvantaged and loses the supports they depend on during any transition.
MS Australia echoes that call and looks forward to engaging further with Mr Butler and the NDIS in the months ahead and continuing to advocate for the MS community.
Broader NDIS reforms
MS Australia believes there are still significant issues to be addressed to ensure the NDIS meets the needs of people living with MS and other neurological conditions, including:
- A flexible, participant-focused and sustainable pricing model for the NDIS that reflects real costs and encourages innovation and quality service delivery.
- A sufficiently trained and skilled NDIA workforce with improved disability awareness and understanding of NDIS legislation and policies, including new assessment, planning and budgeting processes and more staff with lived experience of disability.
- Increased support to attract, train, upskill and maintain a high-quality disability workforce to meet the needs of people living with disability.
- Improved housing and living supports so that people with disability can maintain their independence and choose the living arrangement that best meets their needs and long-term and short-term goals.
- A single, nationally consistent assistive technology program.
We will continue to work with our Member Organisations, the broader disability community and the Neurological Alliance Australia, to argue for a robust, sustainable scheme that meets the needs of the community it is designed to serve.
