[ad_1]
Between significant revisions to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and new employment initiatives, disability was a key part of this year’s federal budget.
But now the dust has settled, the standout questions, particularly regarding the NDIS, don’t centre on the specifics that were in the papers, they’re about those that weren’t.
Here are the key takeaways.
NDIS ‘growth moderation’
It’s been a massive few months for the scheme, with a major review handed down in December recommending sweeping changes and the government introducing draft legislation to kickstart that process.
The 2024 budget papers say the government expects those changes will “offset increases in NDIS payments” to the tune of $14.4 billion over the next four years.
The government says spending on the scheme is now projected to rise to $60.7 billion by 2027-28 and, thanks to its action, annual growth is forecast at 9.2 per cent.
The government last year announced an annual growth target of 8 per cent to try to rein in costs. At the time, annual spending had been growing at about 14 per cent.
But here’s the important part: the budget papers don’t break down the exact costings of where the $14.4 billion savings are coming from, which has fed into fear in the disability community that it could come at the expense of people’s support.
The government says the majority of “growth moderation” will come from curbing “intra-plan inflation” — when a participant’s plan is spent sooner than the period for which it was agreed, which can then lead to a top-up.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten talked through the measures on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program, which you can watch below.
Loading…
He told participants the government remained committed to the scheme, saying “it will increase in numbers and we are increasing investment but … we need to bring it to a more reasonable growth level”.
El Gibbs, the acting CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia, says many people with disability are still in the dark about exactly how the budget will affect them.
“The NDIS is an essential public service for people with disability and families, providing life changing and lifesaving supports every day,” she says.
“The budget has revealed big changes to the scheme … right at the time when the NDIS review and the disability royal commission have shown how far from equal or included we are. We must not see our essential supports cut, or our continued exclusion from the community.”
The government has also pledged an additional $468.7 million for the scheme over four years, which includes more funding for fraud prevention, as well as an “evidence advisory committee” to provide advice about the kinds of supports that work for participants.
There’s also $129.8 million over two years for consultation work to respond to the findings of the NDIS review.
Foundational supports were recently the focus of a political stoush between the federal and state governments.
A pledge of $11.6 million over two years was made towards creating a “foundational supports strategy” in the 2023-24 mid-year budget update.
The government says national cabinet will consider that strategy later this year, with an investment in the supports themselves to “be detailed in future economic updates”.
Ms Gibbs says foundational supports must be in place before any changes to the scheme take effect.
The NDIS has more than 649,000 participants, according to the most recent quarterly report, however the vast majority of the estimated 4.4 million Australians with disability are not on the scheme.
An employment service revamp
One of the biggest challenges for people with disability continues to be finding and keeping a job.
The unemployment rate of working-age people with disability is twice that of those without disability.
The budget aims to address this with a new specialist disability employment program, at a cost of $227.6 million over five years, to replace the existing Disability Employment Services (DES) by July next year.
“The new program will seek to shift the culture in employment services for people with disability,” the announcement says.
When people with disability join DES agencies, they’re supposed to be supported to complete job applications, prepare for interviews and undertake relevant training.
But advocates have long had questions about their efficacy, as some people have been with these agencies for lengthy periods with no results.
Concerns have also been raised the model is more beneficial for providers than people with disability, while a disability royal commission report found DES was failing to provide appropriate support.
The government has also put a price tag of $23.3 billion over four years on setting up a new Disability Employment Centre of Excellence.
It says the centre, which was an election promise, will provide information and training so employment services offer a better-quality service.
People with Disability Australia president Marayke Jonkers says the measures don’t go far enough.
“There’s tinkering at the edges on employment for people with disability but we’ve been calling for a radical shift. We didn’t see that,” she says.
Loading…
“It’s not clear how the government will support the transition to open employment for all people with disability. We remain concerned measures announced tonight may continue to entrench segregated employment and deny people with disability access to mainstream opportunities.”
What else is and isn’t in the budget?
First, here’s what was included.
An extra $2.6 million has been set aside for the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline and the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service. They facilitate the confidential reporting of abuse and receive complaints about disability services outside the NDIS.
Now for what wasn’t included – at least officially.
Advocates were disappointed there was no explicit mention of funding for the government’s response to the disability royal commission, which wrapped up last September after more than four years of hearings.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth did not answer questions about whether the budget had any money for the royal commission response, but said the Commonwealth has been “working closely with states and territories to form a position on the 85 joint recommendations”.
She reiterated governments were still aiming to provide an initial response by mid-2024.
Some people had also been hoping for a boost to the Disability Support Pension (DSP).
While the budget has included some cost-of-living and Centrelink-related measures, the DSP was untouched.
Loading…