AS the Albanese government seeks to contain the ballooning cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), concerns are growing about the fate of Australians with disability who aren’t eligible for the scheme.
In 2023-24, the NDIS cost $43.9 billion and remains one of the fastest-growing items in the Federal Budget.
A National Cabinet target aims to cap annual growth at 8 per cent, but this would still see the scheme expand to $58 billion by 2028.
To rein in spending, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has been reassessing participants’ eligibility.
If individuals cannot supply adequate medical evidence –within 28 to 90 days – they may lose their funding.
Children are particularly impacted, with families often told to seek support through health or education systems that don’t offer the same level of service.
The result: families left to fund care themselves or go without, risking long-term harm to the child and greater costs down the track.
Crucially, the NDIS was never designed to support every Australian with a disability.
Around 86per cent of people with disability are not part of the scheme but still have high support needs – for help with transport, mobility, household chores and more. These supports often fall outside the remit of existing health services.
A key recommendation of the recent NDIS review was to establish “foundational supports” for those outside the scheme.
These include general supports like peer networks and advice, and targeted assistance such as help with shopping or developmental support for children.
These new services are due to begin in July, but many people are losing their NDIS funding before those systems are in place – creating a dangerous gap.
The recent restructuring of ministries adds uncertainty.
While some see opportunities to integrate services across sectors, others worry the move may deprioritise disability support and medicalise a scheme rooted in human rights and individual choice.
Without urgent coordination between federal and state governments, foundational supports may fall short – leaving those outside the NDIS without the help they need.
Authors: Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney and Anne Kavanagh, Professor of Disability and Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne
Source: Extract from Theconversation.com.au.
