20/03/2026
Well, this ridiculous headline has caused quite a stir.
And it makes me mad, because it's SO misleading.
Firstly, it makes it sound like disabled people are using NDIS money to pay for movies, haircuts, etc.
People who say this clearly don't understand the NDIS. Funding is exceptionally strict, with very strict categories and for a lot of us, often multiple levels of approval.
We cannot buy things wth it. It's not just money in our pockets. We're not buying holidays and computers and entertainment with it, because we literally can't.
We might be able to get SUPPORT to do things, like hiring a support worker to help us do things, like leave the house, buy groceries, and interact in the community.
Or get, y'know, assistive tech and stuff that helps us live.
I have seen so many rage-baiting articles, posts and comments, from media, from politicians, and from random people.
That the NDIS is a scam, that disabled people are a "burden"" on the budget; that we just shouldn't exist.. Or that there is a story of one person doing the wrong thing, so everyone must be (I mean participants here, we all know there are dodgy providers that need to be cracked down on: but also, the NDIS itself, with its systems and processes and harm it causes, but that's another story). But we as participants often cop the brunt of the backlash. Just check the comments section of any news outlet on any NDIS story.
And honestly, it's disgusting these opinions are rife in the mainstream.
Because 20% of people live with a disability.
AND YOU CAN BECOME DISABLED AT ANY TIME. You literally have no say in the matter. You could be in a car accident. You could fall over and break your spine and never be able to walk again. You could catch a "cold" and be permanently disabled and chronically ill from it. Health is so fragile. Not to mention that time disables us all.
And when you're in a situation where you can't cook, can't clean, can't eat, and can't leave the house without support, maybe you'll look back and wish you hadn't held the opinion of: "disabled people don't deserve to live/leave the house/it's not our problem".
When getting support to do basic everyday tasks causes outrage, it shows we have SUCH a big problem when it comes to attitudes about disability. And media and politicians have a big role to play in that.
Why?
Well, because they think we're easy targets.
Not to mention they'd rather everyday people be mad at the NDIS than realise the BILLIONS OF DOLLARS the government gives in tax breaks to billionaires and big business. Oh, and not to mention, themselves, and the ridiculous amount of politician salaries and benefits.
Cost-cutting should NOT come at the cost of our basic human rights.
And as I keep saying, IT DELIVERS 2.5X THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT. It's actually one of the BEST things for the economy, because it creates so many flexible jobs, empowers disabled people, and changes and saves lives.
But we can see where this anger is going.
We see that there will be yet more cuts, yet more disabled people suffering, and dying, as they already are.
It's like they don't even see us as human beings.
And man, that needs to change.
More disabled people in parliament, media, and leadership, please
Image description: Oh, look, another misleading headline from misinformed journalists spreading disabled hatred. There is a screenshot of an article by Luke Kinsella that says NDIS spends $12b on support for walks, movies, haircuts. The NDIS spent 11.6 billion on social and community support for participants last year, including cafe visits, and dog walks, driving nearly a quarter of the scheme's ballooning cost as Labour attempts to rein in a big budget deficit. Below the screenshot, Zoe's words continue: This headline is purposefully misleading.
We literally can't spend NDIS money on things like this. We pay for support workers to support us to do things we otherwise couldn't. And if your take is: disabled people shouldn't be able to leave their homes and have access to the community, just know: time will disable you, too. ALSO if you want to talk about government spending, how about the billions in tax breaks to big business? The NDIS delivers 2.5x the economic benefit for every dollar spent.
