Late last week, the Federal Government announced a new growth target for the NDIS of 8 per cent per year by 2026. This is significantly lower than previous projections.
At CYDA, we found this announcement concerning for three reasons:
- Any major change to the NDIS should put the rights and needs of people with disability first. They should be done in consultation with disabled people and their representative organisations. Children and young people with disability represent more than half of NDIS participants, yet our community (indeed, the entire disability community) was not consulted before the announcement.
- The government has not yet provided detail on how they plan to meet their target. This is stressful for our community, many of whom depend on the NDIS for essential support in their daily lives. Children and young people with disability and their families need stability and certainty regarding their NDIS plans.
- The independent NDIS Review is due to release its final report in October 2023. Any major decisions regarding the NDIS budget made before the recommendations of the review are known are premature and may impact the NDIA’s capacity to enact the changes we need.
What happens now?
CYDA will continue to fight for the rights and needs of children and young people with disability and their access to reasonable and necessary supports provided by the NDIS.
We will continue to engage with the independent NDIS Review. We are running paid consultations with children and young people with disability and their families, to make sure the voices of our community are heard, and form part of the final recommendations of the review. You can find out more about our consultations here.
The NDIA have said they are committed to working with the disability community. We will hold the NDIA to that commitment. We look forward to speaking with them directly to make sure the NDIS is meeting the needs of children and young people with disability. To help us do this, we are asking our community to respond to a short, anonymous survey.
We want to know about:
- your views on the announcement of a new growth target for the NDIS
- what you would change about the way the NDIA manages spending
- your experiences with the NDIS
A lot has been made in the lead up to the federal budget of what the NDIS costs, but less has been said about the gains. Investing in the NDIS is an investment in the whole community.
We will be doing everything we can to fight for an NDIS that supports children and young people with disability well into the future.
