The federal election will be held on Saturday, May 21. There is no better time for us to make sure that our politicians take action to deliver us the NDIS we were promised – an NDIS that treats people with disability as individuals, not numbers.
People with disability want the same opportunities as everyone else: somewhere to work, somewhere to live, somewhere to enjoy the company of our family and friends, and a chance to follow our passions and interests.
The NDIS was designed to make this possible. But over the last few years, things have changed for the worse.
The individualised, transparent, open, and respectful world-leading disability scheme that we all fought so hard for is now facing death by a thousand cuts.
Every single day we hear more stories from people who have had their NDIS funding cut – with no reasonable explanation.
People with disability are being forced to fight for their essential supports and services, while the NDIA spend millions on intimidating private lawyers to fight the people they are meant to serve.
And while the Federal Government and NDIA continue to deny they are using cost-cutting measures – it has become loud and clear to people with disability that cost-cutting has been the primary motivation behind so many of the attempted ‘reforms’.
The NDIS is letting down the very people it was created to support.
The Federal Government has been claiming ‘sustainability’ concerns, but they won’t release the raw data and assumptions behind their modelling. The reality is, research conducted in 2021 found that for every $1 spent on the NDIS, local communities benefited $2.25. That’s money straight into the pockets of local support workers, manufacturers and small businesses.
But it’s not only about the money – it’s also about the culture. People with disability are feeling the same as they did in the bad old days before the NDIS – where disability spending is framed by governments as a ‘burden’, and when there is no sense of security for the people who need it most.
There are more than half a million Australians with disabilities relying on the NDIS for essential supports – with around a quarter of a million workers employed to support them. Together with our families, friends and allies, we are a powerful force of Australians ready to defend our NDIS.
We need an NDIS that puts people with disability back at the centre, and makes the scheme we were promised a reality.
If you believe we need to get the NDIS back to its original vision, we need you to take action this election.
How can you get involved?
We want to make sure your concerns about the NDIS are heard loud and clear all across the country. So that each and every politician asking for your vote knows the NDIS needs action – urgently.
But we also know that people with disability, families, advocates and workers have had a really exhausting couple of years. So we are setting up lots of different options so that you can get involved in the way that works best for you.
