Pre-Budget Submission for the 2024-25 Federal Budget
25 January 2024
Budget
MS Australia’s 2024-2025 Pre-Budget Submission seeks commitments from the Australian Government of $8 million for an MS Biobank and funding for neurological research, $6.5 million for 65 MS Nurses, and $3 million for a Tasmanian MS nurse pilot project. It emphasises the need for better disability and aged care support, aligning with recommendations from the NDIS Review and Disability Royal Commission to improve the lives of those with MS in Australia.
MS Australia’s submission to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts advocates for the Transport Standards and guidelines to require regular disability awareness and inclusion training for all public transport staff; procedures for handling equipment disruptions; procedures for crowd management to assist people with disability when boarding and department public transport; and amending Part 15 to prohibit locking accessible toilets, ensuring they remain available for people with disability, including those living with MS.
MS Australia’s submission to the NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee advocates for evidence-based supports to improve outcomes for people with MS. Key recommendations include ensuring access to exercise physiology (2–4 sessions weekly) and smart home appliances to maintain independence and quality of life. It calls for training for NDIS planners, clear guidelines, and preventing arbitrary removal of supports. Emphasis is placed on long-term economic benefits, participant wellbeing, and flexibility in planning and decision-making.
MS Australia’s submission, informed by LEEP member experiences, recommends updating the Disability Discrimination Act to clearly define disability and discrimination, explicitly include conditions like MS, and introduce a positive duty requiring organisations to proactively prevent discrimination. It also calls for improved workplace adjustment processes and a national education campaign to raise disability awareness.
MS Australia’s submission to the Inquiry into Aged Care Service Delivery highlights the urgent need for equity in aged care for older people with disability, including MS. It calls for immediate release of 20,000 home care packages, alignment of aged care funding with NDIS levels, and inclusion of disability-specific supports in the Support at Home program.
MS Australia is writing to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) in support of the request to include ocrelizumab (Ocrevus®) via subcutaneous (SC) delivery on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the treatment of people living with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
