22/04/2026
More info about today’s announcement- stay informed.
Thanks to PWdWA
Much to unpack: PWdWA opposes the Australian Government's decision to take away money from the NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme and give it to aged care, a decision given a positive spin by NDIS Minister Mark Butler MP at his National Press Club of Australia address today.
objects to this decision. We don't live in a country where we should have to choose between aged care and disability care. We are a wealthy enough country to fund both, we don't have to disadvantage an already disadvantaged group to assist another group. And let's not forget, people with have strong human rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that the federal government must implement and follow along with our states and territories.
PWdWA opposes the government's decision to walk away from the disability access lists it agreed to with our state governments, after unpacking the NDIS announcement today from NDIS Minister Mark Butler
Talking about the future running of the National Disability Insurance Agency at the press club today, the Deputy Prime Minister rewrote the NDIS's narrative, saying it has always been about functional capacity, not the disability or medical conditions a medical practitioner has diagnosed a person with.
Using PR speak when talking about changes to the NDIS is not on.
There's a lot to unpack from the proposed changes. And the decision to force everyone onto a data-matched online payments system that will presumably force anyone providing services to be registered would fundamentally change the scheme and insert big brother in even more ways for people with disability in this country.
Not every change proposed by the government is positive. And the spin it's doing is immense is immense.
Here are our initial thoughts on the address:
* Minister Butler started with a recognition that the NDIS is a landmark human rights reform, but then why is the bottom-line that costs-containments come ahead of rights?
* PWdWA opposes the federal government's plans to reduce the number of participants in the NDIS scheme by 160,000 people to 600,000 people – especially without good foundational support schemes that are inclusive in practice. Nobody should be worse off, and we are not confident the govt's current plans comply with this principle
* PWdWA does not support a move toward mandatory provider registration that reduces access to supports without proper exemptions, transition pathways and market safeguards.
* Thin markets in Western Australia are not being talked about here or considered, although we appreciate The West Australian highlighting there's a reduction in spending when you take into account real inflation
* PWdWA is concerned about Minister Butler's comments about removing people from the NDIS, and even though we don’t want a diagnosis-based scheme, we have an immense lack of trust for the method of proposed functional capacity assessments – this time around, and last time when we gave so-called independent assessments the boot
* PWdWA opposes the Australian Government's plan to reduce community participation funding by 30% to provide the more basic supports of activities that support daily living and keep growth on the scheme to a below-inflation 2%
* PWdWA believes essential supports must never be interrupted and the proposed "reforms" don't guarantee uninterrupted service provision
* We know disability supports are frequently singled out as unsustainable, but don't understand why inefficiencies in other areas of public spending receive far less scrutiny
* Minister Butler says he wants his spin on the NDIS' original purpose to be honoured but he and the Australian Government are not honouring original principles – namely, nobody being worse off, and respecting and honouring our choice and control – the government is using convenient lines when it suits it
* Minister Butler said "Where there's very little oversight or line of sight about the quality and the qualifications of providers of essentially taxpayer funded services." But this screams of a new dependency model for us, which the NDIS was designed to move us away from. It's very hard for choice and control to exist if it's taken away
* Minister Butler said nothing about things like abuse towards people with disability, people's exclusion from education, and unemployment
* It's not clear what Minister Butler meant about reviews (and Administrative Review cases) and he did not address the danger and death people face when they need quick reviews.
Positive elements that Minister Butler suggested are the federal government's proposed investment in foundational supports, we welcome that strongly but want that to be implemented at pace and before anyone loses access to scheme. Also welcome the supportive lines around disability organisations and building back up orgs like PWdWA – if that's what he meant.
To unpack the speech yourself, check out the link below.
What are your thoughts?
Nothing About Us Without Us
—People with Disabilities WA
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