Media release: Community legal sector says you don’t secure a safety net by cutting holes in it; you don’t rush life-threatening decisions

The community legal sector has issued a condemnation of the Government’s handling of proposed changes to the NDIS. Concerns include the substance of the bill itself, as well as the process of its introduction.

Community legal sector organisations including disability specialists, the national peak body, and specialists in gender-based violence, human rights and economic justice, have issued a joint statement outlining their key concerns. Community Legal Centres Australia has written on behalf of its membership to key government Ministers requesting an urgent meeting to discuss.

In the statement, community legal sector organisations outline some of the harms they anticipate from the Bill and criticise the Federal Government’s process surrounding the bill. They call on the Federal Government to delay implementation of changes until genuine consultation has occurred, and alternative supports can be resourced and rolled out.

Quotes attributable to Matilda Alexander, CEO, Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion:

‘The Federal Government has invested a lot of time and resources in extensive consultation with the disability community in recent years, only to disregard recommendations made.

‘The NDIS Independent Review received almost 4,000 submissions and travelled to every state and territory to hear directly from people with disability. It said that the NDIS “cannot achieve sustainability without improving outcomes for people with disability”.

‘The Disability Royal Commission heard from about 10,000 people, many of whom shared experiences, aspirations and ideas, as well as traumatic stories, with the hope of a better future for the disability community. The DRC identified a key theme for an inclusive Australia as “people with disability having the support they need to exercise choice and maximise their independence”.

‘In contrast, it is not clear who the Federal Government has listened to in creating the new NDIS Bill or what evidence, including an economic analysis, supports the proposed changes.’

Quotes attributable to Naomi Anderson, Legal Practice Manager, Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service:

‘We are deeply concerned that the Federal Government’s NDIS Bill will give effect to changes that would deny basic human rights to many people with disability, and create grave risks to their safety.

‘A decision to pass this Bill in its current form would have the potential to cause harm to a large number of people. If Parliament is intending to make a radical change to the NDIS, which is not aligned with the recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission or the NDIS Review, they have a responsibility to ensure they are aware of the foreseeable outcomes. That requires genuine consultation with the communities most impacted, and it takes much more than two weeks.’