Australians with disability and their families are facing extremely uncertain times.
The Federal Government has made numerous statements about reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), including reduced eligibility and funding cuts, but is yet to provide a formal response to the 2023 NDIS Review’s recommendations that would help give some clarity about its intentions regarding the way forward.
There has also been much discussion about proposed Foundational Supports, a surprise announcement of a Thriving Kids initiative, and promises to revitalise the Information, Linkages, and Capacity Building (ILC) program, but organisations with current grants to deliver these types of supports that end this June have been given minimal information about whether their important programs will continue.
Additionally, responses to the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations from all tiers of government have been lacklustre and underwhelming, with little evidence of a concerted effort to end the violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of people with disability that the Commission exposed.