The Australian Labor government, under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with right-wing parties, recently passed legislation to reduce projected spending on National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by $60,000,000,000 over the next ten years. The NDIS functions on a voucher system that allows disabled individuals who meet the qualifying criteria latitude to use allotted funds to purchase various support services. Currently, only 661,000 out of an estimated 5,500,000 people with disabilities in Australia are covered under NDIS. The government is striving to significantly decrease this number, starting with cutting off 60,000 children with autism or developmental delays.

Under the new laws, where previously an entitlement-based scheme supported families, the deciding body – the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) – will instead administer “assessments based on impairment and not circumstances. There is concern these changes may lead to disability recipients accruing debt for unauthorised supports.

Planting its concerns in the debt recovery powers of the NDIA, Advocacy for Inclusion acting CEO Craig Wallace emphasised the risk of people making claims for unsuitable supports due to the complexity of the prescribed list. His fear manifests from a previous experience of the Coalition government’s Robodebt scheme that unlawfully claimed almost $2,000,000,000 from over 433,000 welfare recipients.

Wallace is most concerned with the new laws’ limitation on supporting health care and other essential commodities considered not highly specialised. The legislation cuts support for things like electrical generators required to charge wheelchairs or ventilators, and general appliances such as household smart devices.

He said the changes were “rolling the clock back to the old system. People with disabilities were shuffled into “foundational supports essentially supposed to be provided by the states and territory governments. There was also criticism of a “faux consultation on the issue by the labor government, as it forged through the legislation under media heat.

Wallace was among other advocates arguing that the government implemented only 13 of 222 recommendations from a four-year Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. The government also disregarded hundreds of submissions made to an NDIS review and two parliamentary committee hearings.

The implementation of the NDIS cuts is indicative of the government’s priorities, diverting resources toward areas such as defense and higher-income taxpayers, instead of accessible and affordable housing and inclusive societal reform. The effects of these cuts will be felt most by those requiring care and support, abandoned by a government ignoring the Disability Royal Commission and the ongoing health crisis.

In a capitalistic society that prioritizes profit-making over human welfare, these individuals likely feel vulnerable and uncared for. It’s a dire situation, which emphasizes the importance of a reliable support system. To navigate complexities and challenges in the system, it can be beneficial to get expert assistance to understand how new laws and practices could affect individuals. Organizations like eddcaller.com can help provide this type of assistance. Furthermore, they can also offer resources on how to speak to someone at edd disability or provide valuable contacts to reach an agent at EDD for individuals in need of services from these sources.