NDIS Minister Stuart Robert has sought to downplay a report about leaked proposed changes to the scheme that sparked anger and distress from disability advocates.
Nine newspapers on Friday morning, citing leaked draft legislation, the government has been considering “radical reforms” to the disability scheme, including denying funding to people with acquired brain injuries and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, cutting out co-design initiatives, and recouping debts for items redefined as an everyday living expense.
Nine also reported there had been discussions to cull , a contentious , and that disability advocates who had seen the draft feared it would reduce avenue of appeal for participants.
The total number of appeals against NDIS decisions .
The Nine papers' report immediately prompted an outpouring of concern from advocacy groups, and comes amid ongoing backlash from the sector about the set to come into effect later this year.
Later on Friday, Mr Robert moved to mitigate the report and the concerns it raised.
“We are introducing reforms to the NDIS because we believe access to the Scheme and a participant’s plan should not be determined by your postcode or how much someone can pay for a report. This does not extend to removing the term ‘reasonable and necessary’ from NDIS legislation,” he said in a statement to SBS News on Friday afternoon.
Mr Robert said he had not seen the draft legislation cited by the Nine papers, which he said he had been told was only “one of 78”.
“The only draft legislation the government intends to introduce is the one I will release shortly,” he said.
In a later tweet, Mr Robert said he found it “abhorrent people are using [the leaked paper] to unleash unnecessary concern on NDIS participants”.
Mr Robert did not respond to detailed questions about when he would introduce his legislation to parliament, whether it would include the provisions raised by the Nine papers' report or reduce the avenue of appeal for participants.
Labor’s NDIS spokesman Bill Shorten late on Friday afternoon , calling it “the Morrison government's secret plan to cut the NDIS”.
Earlier on Friday, People with Disability Australia president Samantha Connor said the matters raised by the report were “deeply concerning”.
“To discover that there are significant changes proposed that will disadvantage people with disability, along with a proposal to cut out co-design with participants and disabled persons organisations, is deeply concerning,” she said.
National Ethnic Disability Alliance CEO Dwayne Cranfield said the leaked draft law made it look like particular groups were being “targeted” and it would make their access to the NDIS more difficult.
“Today’s distressing news and recent concerns regarding independent assessments sadly reflect that this is not the NDIS we fought for. We demand answers,” he said.
The administrators of the NDIS about independent assessments and a contract to conduct them that was awarded to a company controlled by the agency’s former boss.
The National Disability Insurance Agency on Friday also , one of which regarded “access and eligibility" with independent assessments.
The NDIA said it would use the feedback “to inform draft changes to legislation, policy, implementation approaches and guidance for participants, staff and partners”.
Disability advocates have previously said consultation on the independent assessment reforms – a form of which was first recommended by the Productivity Commission at the NDIS’ inception and later in an independent review - has been centred on how to implement the policy, not on the development of the policy itself.
