One of Australia’s largest trade unions has responded to a recent Labor campaign against fraud within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Professionals Australia said in a press release that the federal government intended to ‘scapegoat’ the reported 160,000 individuals (21 per cent of NDIS participants) who would be removed from NDIS programs under Minister for Health, Ageing and Disability Mark Butler’s proposed changes.
Professionals Australia CEO Sam Roberts said that the members of parliament pushing for NDIS reform cannot claim there is no money for disability supports, at the same time as failing to pursue much larger integrity savings through changes to Medicare.
“This is not genuine reform. It is a decision to target the most politically vulnerable part of the system before exhausting less harmful alternatives,” Mr Roberts said.
The potential Medicare savings identified by the union are derived from data gathered in an ABC article published in October 2022, and research from Dr Margaret Faux, which suggested that Medicare fraud represents nearly 30 per cent of Medicare’s annual budget.
According to the Minister for Health and Ageing, the ‘National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment’ would target between six and ten per cent of NDIS payments, pursuing savings estimated at $15 billion over four years. This is based on a projection to reduce the total number of Australians involved in NDIS programs by 300,000 by the end of the decade.
Senior organiser for Professionals Australia, Louise Dillon, said the economic basis for the NDIS changes was appalling.
“There are plenty of other places that the government could go looking for savings, and they’re refusing to do that,” Ms Dillon said.
“This is a political decision the Albanese government has made. The government has been provided with this data for a long time; they know where it’s sitting, and they choose to ignore it.”
Professionals Australia delegate Calla Dolton said the resulting fallout from the cuts was ‘exhausting, confusing and completely avoidable.’
“Parents are being told to pursue lengthy formal internal reviews through the NDIS to challenge decisions they were never part of,” Ms Dolton said.
They are being asked to make high-stakes legal decisions under pressure, without guidance, while their supports are being cut.”
According to national statistics, 40 per cent of NDIS participants are below the age of 15.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is expected to discuss the NDIS cuts at length during the delivery of the federal budget on Tuesday, May 12.
Feature Image: Hearing Practitioner Australia
Additional Reporting by Rachael Gregory
