Reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme were finally put before Parliament by NDIS Minister Bill Shorten.
The proposed reforms come after an independent review of the program was published in December, commissioned by the federal government to address ballooning costs.
It’s a very bureaucratic system and if I wasn’t able to maybe communicate as well as I am, or read as well as I could, it would become very overwhelming and confusing quite quickly.
In the wake of the proposed legislation, People With Disability Australia (PWDA) have called for “genuine co-design to refine the legislation to ensure the reforms reflect the needs of the people they’re designed for”.
The attitude that the program was not made in collaboration with disabled people is prevalent, with NDIS participant Lily Callaghan, who is living with autism, noting the difficulty of navigating the system’s bureaucracy.
“[It’s] a very bureaucratic system and if I wasn’t able to maybe communicate as well as I am, or read as well as I could, it would become very overwhelming and confusing quite quickly,” Ms Callaghan said.
“Sometimes I have to jump through loopholes to get completely reasonable support.”
Wider coverage is also a primary issue, as only 630,000 of the over 4 million disabled Australians are covered by NDIS.
Autism diagnoses have continued to increase year on year in Australia, with 96.9% of all autistic people using NDIS support being younger than 35.
Note: Percentage of three different age groups whose primary diagnosis for NDIS is autism. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
NDIS participation has been shown to significantly aid employment opportunities for young people, with those joining the scheme seeing their participation in work more than double.
This is significant for autistic Australians, 75% of whom struggle to find employment, making autistic people six times more likely to be unemployed than those without a disability.
Note: Percentage of age group populations with an autism diagnosis. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
This is particularly impactful for the thousands of young autistic Australians who face the worst housing market and economic outcomes in decades.
Residential house prices in Australia’s four biggest cities from 2011 to 2021. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Ms Callaghan also hopes the report’s suggestion that NDIS shift from a diagnosis-based model to a needs-based one is honoured.
“If you have a diagnosis, you have to get re-diagnosed every few years,” they noted.
“All of a sudden, your diagnosis can change or not be re-given and you’re taken off the program.”