A major report into plans to curb the cost of the $56 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme has been delayed in order for the government to consider thousands of submissions from groups concerned about the changes.
Just hours before a parliamentary inquiry into the reforms was scheduled to hand down its findings, the committee announced it was delaying its final report until Friday, a move described as callous and cowardly by the federal opposition.
The inquiry was told of warnings from disability advocates that the overhaul would lead to people dying and make life harder for support providers.
Shadow NDIS spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh is blasting the government’s delay of a report. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)
The government pushed the report back by three days to allow more time to deal with the thousands of submissions made by advocacy groups, disability providers and experts.
But in a blistering statement, opposition NDIS spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh said the move was disappointing given the inquiry’s short timeline.
“People rushed to meet the Albanese Labor government’s ridiculous 11-day timeframe to make a submission or attend one of the three limited hearings, and now the government has decided they will take their sweet time to table the report,” she said.
“This exemplifies the Albanese Labor government’s complete lack of respect for Australians and the role of the parliament to interrogate their rubbish legislation.”
Labor has been negotiating with the opposition to try and get the reforms through parliament by the end of June.
While Ms McIntosh is broadly supportive of reducing the scheme’s cost, she has raised concerns about the details of the proposal and called for amendments, including changing course on plans to halve funding for social and community participation.
Ms McIntosh is also concerned about sweeping powers the legislation would grant to the NDIS minister.
Some disability advocates are warning the changes will make NDIS participants more isolated. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)
Some disability advocates have warned the changes will make NDIS participants more isolated and in extreme circumstances could lead to people on the scheme dying.
The government has rejected that claim, saying disabled Australians will not be left without the support they need.
NDIS Minister Mark Butler’s office did not respond to a request for comment, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he would treat the Senate – where Labor must negotiate to get the bill through – with the “respect it deserves”.
“We will make sure that people get assistance, and it doesn’t assist the process to unnecessarily concern people, not based upon the facts,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
