IN BRIEF
- Disability advocates raised fears proposed NDIS reforms could reduce support and deepen isolation.
- A key amendment drew criticism over concerns participants may need to prove treatment attempts.
Disability advocates have warned proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) could leave participants worse off, as the second day of public hearings into the federal government's sweeping reforms heard emotional evidence from those affected.
Senators on Wednesday continued examining draft legislation that would pave the way for about 300,000 people either being removed or prevented from accessing the scheme over the next four years.
This would save the government more than $38 billion over that time.
Among those appearing before the inquiry was disability advocate Hannah Diviney, who delivered a stark warning about the potential consequences of the reforms.
"You may cast me as a frightened little girl, but hear this, when disabled people die as a direct result of this bill, and they will, their blood will be on your hands," Diviney told the hearing.
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Diviney said she did not want to be "begging the government to see people like me as human" but felt compelled to speak out because of what she believes is at stake.
"If the bill gets passed into legislation, the consequences will be dire, far-reaching and near impossible to undo," she said.
Concerns over proposed treatment requirements
A key concern raised by Diviney centred on proposed provisions she argued would require participants to demonstrate they had pursued appropriate treatments before receiving certain supports.
Diviney argued the measure failed to account for barriers including cost, geography and previous experiences of medical trauma.
"This amendment in my opinion is reckless, ill thought-out and entirely devoid of any shred of understanding of what living a disabled life is actually like," she said.
She also questioned whether decisions affecting support access should be made through broad policy settings rather than individual circumstances.
Inquiry hears concerns about broader impacts
The inquiry also heard concerns that some proposed changes could create unintended consequences that disproportionately affect women.
The proposed legislation forms part of the government’s push to curb the growth of the now-more-than-$50 billion scheme and to place it on a more sustainable footing.
A key proposal would give the NDIS minister new powers over categories of support spending, beginning with reductions to social and community participation budgets.
Government defends reforms as sustainability measure
Health and NDIS Minister Mark Butler defended the reforms, saying the government remained committed to protecting the scheme's future while improving oversight.
"It’s really important to ensure that we can secure the future of the NDIS in the long term, secure its social licence as well as secure its fiscal sustainability," Butler told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Butler said the government was pursuing measures recommended through previous reviews, including expanding provider registration requirements under a risk-based model.
"In terms of investment, this will continue to be the largest social program the country has outside of the aged pension," he said.
"We may not see the 10 per cent plus growth rates that we’ve seen over the last several years, but it will still be a very substantial social program."
Butler said the government wanted the bill passed quickly and argued changes were necessary to slow cost growth after what he described as a $13 billion increase in projected NDIS spending.
He said more fundamental reforms would involve consultation with the disability sector and states before being rolled out over the coming years.
Public hearings continue on Thursday.
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