Diana Piantedosi and Lena Molnar both work for Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV). They, along with other academics, have identified gender inequality within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as a significant issue. The NDIS review, released last month, has made several important recommendations, including supporting First Nations people, acknowledging culturally diverse concepts of disability, and advocating for LGBTIQ+ individuals. However, the review has largely neglected the issue of gender inequality.

This gender bias is evident in the disproportionate percentage of women with disabilities who are victims of intimate partner violence. The NDIS review includes measures for safeguarding participants, such as using only registered providers. However, it does not sufficiently address the violence and abuse disproportionately targeted at women with disabilities.

Additionally, women with disabilities have significantly lower NDIS participation rates and are often overrepresented as carers for individuals with disabilities. The imbalance is especially notable from the age of 15, when male applicants are more likely to have their NDIS access requests approved. This gender gap in approvals further amplifies with age. This discrepancy is likely due to NDIS assessments relying heavily on evidence from healthcare professionals, thereby reproducing the existing gender biases within the medical system.

Many chronic conditions, predominantly affecting women, exhibit fluctuating symptoms. The NDIS review acknowledges the episodic nature of psychosocial disability but fails to address episodic disability more broadly. Chronic health conditions that predominantly affect women include long COVID, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, lymphoedema, endometriosis, and multiple autoimmune conditions, all of which can worsen over time without proper support.

The review recommends removing lists of conditions that would make an individual eligible for support, focusing instead on functional impact. However, it is unclear how this change would address gender equity. Currently, state health systems are responsible for early intervention and treatment of chronic conditions, but they do not provide daily living support when a condition leads to disability. The review reiterates the need to manage the gaps and ambiguity between the NDIS and health systems.

Lastly, the review also identifies the heavy administrative and emotional burden placed on those who have to reapply to the scheme after being found ineligible. Adults with chronic conditions make up over half of those who did not meet NDIS access requirements, likely impacting women disproportionately. While the review recommends collecting more detailed data on participants disaggregated by gender and sexuality , this is not yet happening. Without addressing this gender bias urgently, women will continue to be left behind by the NDIS.