2021-02-03
Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has labelled comments made this morning by Minister Robert about the NDIS as cynical, misleading and offensive.
"Minister Robert's comments about our NDIS are deeply concerning and a smokescreen for a much broader power grab from the Morrison government," Steele-John said.
"If a disabled person who is a participant of the NDIS can show that a support or a service they wish to include in their plan is reasonable or necessary, then the scheme is working as it should.
"It is the very antithesis of the scheme for the Minister have the power to veto - based on his own moral beliefs - the kind of services and supports a disabled person might need in their plan.
"Disabled people across Australia campaigned for decades for the NDIS and its creation - the largest social reform since MediCare - is one of our community's greatest achievements.
"Since Tony Abbott came into power in 2013, successive Coalition governments have been intent on interfering with, and dismantling, our NDIS through insufficient funding and staffing caps that limit the ability of the scheme to do the job it was designed to do.
"Now with the deeply flawed trial of Compulsory Independent Assessments and negative public commentary - such as we've seen today from Minister Robert - on the very foundations of the scheme, we are seeing a blatant public grab for control over the NDIS that will ultimately lead to even more negative outcomes for disabled people.
"We should not have to fight the system that was created to support us. Our NDIS needs to be fixed and disabled people must be at the centre of the conversation because we know what the solutions are."