The Albanese Government is delivering on its election commitment to get the NDIS back on track.
The Budget delivers the change Australians voted for, including:
- A Fraud Fusion Taskforce with $137.7 million to strengthen fraud detection and better safeguard the NDIS from organised crime and other fraudsters.
- A $5.8 million Alternative Dispute Resolution Pilot to achieve fairer, faster and better outcomes for NDIS participants, with an additional $6.6 million for participants to access advocacy and legal assistance.
- An independent NDIS Review led by a panel of experts and people with disability to create a roadmap for improving the NDIS, rebuilding community trust and ensuring the scheme’s sustainability so that future generations receive the benefit of the NDIS.
- An additional 380 permanent staff to ensure the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) can better support people with disability and their families, carers, disability service providers and workers, including through stronger market stewardship.
The Albanese Government has put people with disability back at the centre of the NDIS, appointing Mr Kurt Fearnley AO as NDIA Chair and increasing the number of people with disability on the NDIA Board to its highest ever number.
“Delivering these important election commitments shows the Albanese Government will not waver on its promise to get the NDIS back on track,” Minister Shorten said.
“Labor’s announcement of a cross-agency Fraud Fusion Taskforce will help defend the scheme from crooks and help deliver our pledge to crack down on NDIS fraudsters.
“We have already worked with states and territories to improve NDIA administrative processes to ensure that people with disability do not languish in hospital unnecessarily.
“Our Alternative Dispute Resolution Pilot will help people with disability to resolve disputes over NDIS decisions, helping to clear the Liberals’ legacy of thousands of appealed NDIS decisions at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
“With people with disability at the helm, the Government is repairing the scheme by lifting the arbitrary cap on staff and ensuring the NDIA has the resources it needs to support participants.”