Michael Sukkar MP

NDIS PARTICIPANTS NONE THE WISER AFTER NATIONAL CABINET

THE HON MICHAEL SUKKAR MP

Shadow Minister for Social Services

Shadow Minister for NDIS

Shadow Minister for Housing

Shadow Minister for Homelessness

MEDIA RELEASE

6 December 2023

NDIS PARTICIPANTS NONE THE WISER AFTER NATIONAL CABINET

Today, the Prime Minister stated the NDIS is unsustainable.

This is in stark contrast to Labor’s pre-election lies when Bill Shorten promised no NDIS participant’s plan would go backwards under Labor, and that it was improper for the Coalition to even discuss the Scheme’s sustainability, when he said:

“You can’t move around the corridors of Parliament in Canberra without tripping over a Coalition minister whispering the Scheme is unsustainable… I’m here to tell you today that is a lie”.

Sadly, NDIS participants and their families are just as uncertain as they were yesterday about the future of their plans. Decisions regarding the Independent Review of the Scheme have been deferred to next year and beyond with no guarantee of further support from the Federal Government.

Anthony Albanese also seemed to suggest that no existing NDIS participants will be negatively impacted by these changes, but failed to mention whether changes will be made to the Scheme’s eligibility. This is very different to Bill Shorten’s previous comments with respect to children with autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay.

The adjustment of state and territory NDIS contribution increasing from 4 per cent to 8 per cent is wholly appropriate, however we will await to see the detail in the report and its findings when it is released.

National Cabinet “agreed to jointly design additional Foundational Supports to be jointly commissioned by the Commonwealth and the states,” however there is still no guarantee from the Government whether participants will be removed from the Scheme in order to achieve this, and no detail on how the 8 per cent growth cap will be met.

The Government must be transparent about how many NDIS participants will have cuts made to their plans and how it intends to continue supporting these participants.

The Coalition will closely examine the outcomes of the NDIS Independent Review report when it is released, we will hold the Government accountable for responding in a timely manner, and we will take necessary action to ensure the NDIS continues its vital support for participants.

Ends