- The Guardian
- Issue #2198
A rally calling on the Australian Commonwealth government to implement a National Disability Insurance Scheme in Reddacliff Place, Brisbane, in 2012. Photo: John Robert McPherson – Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
The front page story of Guardian #2197, ‘NDIS deadly cuts,’ showed in detail what was wrong with the “inhumane, cost-cutting NDIS bill” (official title ‘Securing the NDIS for Future Generations’). The average NDIS plan spend is to be cut from $31,000 to $26,000, with some plans reduced by as much as 50 per cent over the next two years. Up to 160,000 people will be thrown off the scheme and many others won’t get to start on it once the changes are in place.
While writing that article M Santos collected a range of quotations from submissions to the inquiry. Here are the words of the people whose lives will be affected by the government’s NDIS bill.
– I’m severely and permanently disabled. I am one of the people the politicians say NDIS was designed for. So why am I left terrified of the result of these funding cuts? The government says they are targeting fraud but announces they would be cutting off 160,000 participants. That isn’t targeting fraud – that’s targeting disabled people.
– The single tool that produced any outcome for my son was the Administrative Review Tribunal. An 18-month fight, at enormous cost to my health, my finances, my capacity to function, and the safety of my family – and ultimately, the plan was changed .
This Bill removes the conditions under which that process is meaningful.
– It feels as though people with disabilities are increasingly being viewed as a financial burden rather than as human beings deserving of dignity, safety, inclusion, and opportunity.
I do not want to be sitting here in this room begging the government to see people like me as human, begging you to understand the right the disabled community has to live rich and full lives that exist out in the world, beyond any four walls.
– The Minister for the NDIS should not be given powers to deny the right of people with a disability to appeal a decision about their care and supports needed to live ordinary lives.
Participants already have functional assessments and documentation from medical and allied health professionals to provide evidence for their continued need for support. This should be enough.
I urge the Senate to come out strongly against these wide, sweeping ministerial powers. They are inhumane, they are unsafe and they should not be allowed.
– Parliament should remember the Robodebt scandal (and the suicides) and the ongoing problems with Workcover. Automated systems alone cannot make suitable, safe decisions about the supports needed by disabled people.
– The mental health impact of being denied support – after years of trauma and failed treatment – is severe and potentially fatal.
– I cannot adequately explain how dangerous and distressing this feels for families caring for children with profound disability. Children like my son do not fit neatly into tick-box assessments … .
– The NDIS has allowed our family to keep our son safe at home, access school safely, attend medical appointments, participate in the community and maintain dignity and quality of life. Without appropriate supports: family burnout increases; hospital admissions increase; school participation decreases; workforce participation for carers drops; and children with disability become further isolated … .
– Has the Minister ever met anyone with profound autism and severe intellectual disability? Not in a controlled setting. Not in a presentation. In a real moment – at 3am, in a home with a broken bathroom and a makeshift outdoor kitchen, with a young man in severe pain who does not understand what is happening to his body and thinks the nearest person caused this, with no funded support and no way out.
– The NDIS should not be moving families closer to crisis in the name of “savings.” Early intervention, capacity building, and practical supports are what help families remain stable, sustainable, and able to continue caring for their children long-term.
– Families like mine already navigate enormous complexity every day. We should not also have to live in fear that essential supports may disappear because a future assessment tool fails to capture our child accurately.
– The NDIS is not a luxury for people like me. It is the reason I can parent my children, remain part of my community, continue contributing to society and stay alive safely at home.
– The NDIS contributes significantly to the Australian economy. This should be encouraged and supported. Cuts to the NDIS will increase unemployment of both disabled and non-disabled people.
– The proposed NDIS bill must be rejected in full. Proceeding with the bill is an irresponsible and dangerous course of action, with real risk and harm, including death, which is a guaranteed outcome.
