CYDA welcomes time for further scrutiny of NDIS Bill, but urges genuine engagement

Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) welcomed today’s extension to the NDIS Bill Inquiry while calling on the government to genuinely scrutinise its impacts on disabled children and young people.

A Senate motion passed this morning deferred the Bill’s final report deadline by eight weeks to 14 August, forcing a slowdown of the government’s widely criticised reform timeline. 

CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore said the delay was a testament to the power of disabled people, families, and advocates who refused to let unprecedented changes be rushed through parliament.

“Above all else, what this development shows is that our collective advocacy cannot be ignored,” Ms Kakoschke-Moore said.

“The government must now take the time to properly scrutinise how this law will impact the nearly half a million people with disability under 25 who rely on the NDIS every day.”

The extension coincides with a major policy concession by the government on several key issues raised by CYDA.

This includes its agreement to a strict prohibition on the use of restrictive practices as a legal requirement for NDIS eligibility and for any mandated alternative treatments to be fully funded through the public health system, Medicare or the PBS.

Earlier this month, Ms Kakoschke-Moore spoke about the need to prevent the use of restrictive practice, like forced medication, on children and young people with disability when she appeared at the Senate Inquiry’s public hearing.

Other improvements have also been secured, including stronger protections around support determinations and limits on the Minister’s ability to make sweeping changes to people’s plans.

“Every amendment secured so far represents harm that has been prevented. That matters, but preventing some harm is not the same as creating good policy,” Ms Kakoschke-Moore said.

“The battle is far from over. While we welcome these improvements, there are still many aspects of the Bill that remain deeply concerning.”

CYDA was one of the more than 4000 individuals and organisations that made a submission to the Senate Inquiry despite being given just two weeks to respond.

Its submission highlighted four key areas of concern in the Bill, including:

• The requirement for a person to undertake “all appropriate treatment” without consideration of their location or financial means
• The reliance on parental responsibility and already stretched informal supports as alternatives to properly funded supports
• The reduction in funding for social and community participation
• The centralisation of power with the Disability Minister of the day