Budget leaves disabled Australians hungry for NDIS reform

After almost a decade of budget starvation, you can imagine how we were salivating at the thought of a progressive government who had spent large chunks of the recent election campaign talking about restoring our signature program, writes Elly Desmarchelier.

The federal budget could be thought of as the country’s most expensive dinner party. Those who get an invite are the VIPs – big business, unions and the specialty groups in favour with the host, the nation’s treasurer.

What is served up to the country are the government’s financial priorities. A menu that was crafted over months to meet the tastes of supporters and hopefully some new friends come election time. 

For nine years, people with disability not only didn’t get an invitation to the party, too often, we were on the menu. Carved up in the name of “fiscal sustainability”.

So after almost a decade of budget starvation, you can imagine how we were salivating at the thought of a progressive government who had spent large chunks of the recent election campaign talking about restoring our signature program, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

But most people with disability will come away from budget night still ravenous for more action. 

We have been fed plenty of appetisers; a new NDIA CEO, more people with disability on the NDIA board, including Kurt Fearnley as Chair, and a new independent body to clear the backlog of NDIS cases in front of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. 

Tonight was much of the same. We finally saw the NDIA staff cap lifted with an additional 380 staff to be added to the agency after years of letting it deplete. 

A new “Fraud Fusion Taskforce” established that puts the ounce of cost reductions on dodgy providers rather than the Coalition’s preferred recipe of cuts to individual plans and standardising funding. 

There are some solid reasons the NDIS stayed out of this round of main courses, with an Independent NDIS Reform Review and the Disability Royal Commission to both hand down their recommended recipes for change next year. 

The government argues those recipes for change will set the course for multiple budgets to come.  

The challenge then turns to disability community and whether we can unite around a few priority ideas for major reform, build momentum and gain enough widespread public support that the host – the treasurer – can’t ignore.

As an avid viewer of the West Wing, I’m reminded of a story about FDR who after listening to a group of activists seeking his support for bold change replied, “You’ve convinced me. Now go out and make me do it.”

The NDIS didn’t get anywhere near the amount of attention it deserved in this budget, but the May budget next year is the party we really want an invite to. And the question is, can we pull together and make the government give us what we want or are we going to let others choose what we are served up?