2021-06-30
Wednesday 30 June, 2021
Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said projections in the 2021 Intergenerational Report (IGR) did not support the Morrison government's claims the NDIS was growing unsustainability nor justify cuts to the scheme.
Senator Steele-John said the Morrison government were not being transparent with the community about claimed 'cost blowouts' in the NDIS.
"Both the methodology and assumptions used to inform the projections in the 2021 IGR have changed significantly from last the IGR back in 2015," Steele-John said.
"It's not clear what those assumptions are, or the data that has been used to inform those assumptions, despite a significant proportion of the report - more than 4 pages - being dedicated to explaining cost projections for the scheme.
"The 2021 IGR also confirms what disabled people have been saying for a long time: total scheme costs are affected by government policy changes and the administrative decisions of the National Disability Insurance Agency.
"These include the decision to outsource NDIA staff to Serco and the decision to spend $339 million on contracts to deliver independent assessments before legeislation has even been put to parliament.
"What the 2021 IGR fails to consider is the net benefit that the NDIS provides to our economy; in 2019 20 per cent of all new jobs were linked to the uptake of the scheme and the increased demand for services.
"At the end of the day it's now up to the Morrison Government to come clean about why their projections are so out of whack and take responsibility for the 8 years of mismanagement that have lead us to this point.
"Instead of taking responsibility for their own mismanagement of the NDIS over the last 8 years the Morrison government is trying to lay the blame on disabled people who rely on the scheme for the supports they need to live a good life."
Media Contacts:
STEELE-JOHN - Tim Oliver; 0448 316 387