Dozens of people gathered outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) office in Surry Hills on Monday to protest the NDIS Amendment Bill that is expected to pass in the Senate this week.
Introduced by the federal government earlier this year, the bill aims to tackle fraud and improve the scheme’s sustainability, saving $38 billion over four years through tighter eligibility and reduced funding.
NDIS participant Kat said that the proposed reforms would unfairly punish those living with disabilities who rely on the NDIS.
“We are all going to be punished for things that we didn’t do. We didn’t do the fraud, we didn’t set up the prices,” Kat said.
“We are just trying to get help and support to live independently and to live a life that is fulfilling and safe.”
Government modelling suggests more than 240,000 participants could leave the NDIS by 2031. The government says they will have access to alternative services, but many are yet to be developed.
“We don’t know what is happening and we also don’t know what the supports will be like. But we all know that people are going to die, and people are going to be harmed because of this,” Kat said.
The rally was organised by Protect Our NDIS Alliance, a grassroots group opposing the bill, after a Senate committee recommended the bill to be passed last week.
Rally organiser and disability support worker Julia said the rally aimed to mobilise people once more before the Senate vote.
“We believe that it is really important that disabled people, and their communities and allies, mobilise on the streets and put pressure that way,” Julia said.
The rally was met with a heavy police presence, with officers blocking the doors to the NDIS office and refusing entry to protestors and members of the public.
For Kat, the protest was ultimately about protecting the NDIS and those on it.
“Despite everything it’s because we love the NDIS, we need the NDIS, and that is why we are so passionate, and that is why we are hurt, that is why we are angry.”
