National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) minister Bill Shorten is warning a delay in a vote on amendments to the program could cost taxpayers $1 billion (US$665 million).
An amendment before the Senate is set to help close loopholes in the NDIS and help address the unsustainable growth of the program.
Mr. Shorten has condemned a move by both Liberal and Greens senators who have called for a delay until after they return from an overseas trip to Brazil and the Americas.
The senators say they want more time to analyse the amendment, which was subject to a 12-week review.
The two-month delay would mean delaying the bill until Aug. 5.
Speaking to ABC AM radio on June 25, Mr. Shorten said additional consultation would not change anything and that he believed the delay was a political tactic.
Greens leader Adam Bandt responded by claiming Labor was obtaining its budget surplus on the backs of cuts to services to disabled people.
“The state premiers are saying well, no, hang on, you can’t go ahead with this because implicit in the federal government’s argument is that states will somehow pick up the slack for services to be provided to people with disabilities and they’re saying, well, look, we just haven’t got the money to do it,” he said.
In May, Labor announced plans to attempt to lower projected cost increases to the program without cutting funding.
The May Budget revealed the annual cost of the scheme had reached $42 billion in 2024, and is projected to cost $90 billion by 2030.
Mr. Shorten himself came under pressure earlier this month after he hired a former television writer to assist him in writing speeches.
Julieanne Stewart’s appointment as a speech writer for two years came with a price tag of $640,000 (US$427,000), a move that was questioned amid concerns around NDIS spending.
Details of Proposed NDIS Amendment Bill
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 was first introduced earlier this year.It seeks to close loopholes and stem the flow of unnecessary spending.
The amendment would provide new definitions of disability supports in order to clarify the scope of valid supports and to introduce a new assessment process for gaining entry into the NDIS—early intervention and disability requirements, or both.
In addition, it would set out the manner in which an existing participant would transition from an old to new plan.
The NDIS is a scheme of the Australian government associated with disability.
It was legislated in 2013 and went into full operation in 2020.
