Shorten hits out at anti-NDIS ‘extremists’

A terse Bill Shorten has defended pending sweeping NDIS reforms against “misinformation being peddled by the extremists,” promising the changes to the $40bn-a-year disability scheme will allow more people access to the program.

The legislation, which aims to curb the scheme’s current unsustainable growth to 8 per cent a year, was finally passed last week following bipartisan support from the Coalition and agreement from the states and territories.

However, some disability advocates and the Greens have expressed concerns new eligibility requirements and services covered by the scheme will give participants less choice.

Appearing on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, the NDIS Minister fiercely said while there were guidelines which state what participants can spend their money on, there were also substitution guidelines which meant someone could still access a support even if it wasn’t definitively defined.

Instead the new reforms would allow participants to obtain supports based on their personal disability.

“There are some household items which can be modified to make it easier for a person with a disability to use, they’ll still be allowed,” he said.

“But this idea that everyone can head down to Bing Lee or Harvey Norman and get yourself a washing machine on the scheme, that’s not right and that’s never been okay.”

Mr Shorten lashed the “fear and misinformation” that has been spread about the upcoming reforms, specifically blasting the Greens who have savaged the reforms as a “betrayal” to the disability community.

“My obligation is to everyone who’s doing the right thing on the scheme. The dilemma with this reform is as simple as this, we just need to tell the truth,” he said.

“The truth is, this scheme is very good. It’s the best in the world, and we’re investing more in people with disability.

“The other truth is also it’s not working properly for some people, so we need better decision making, and there are rorts and shonks going on.”

Mr Shorten also defended another arm of reforms which have yet to be finalised but will require all providers to hold a form of registration.

“What’s wrong with asking that everyone who’s driving someone that we see their driver’s licence and that they’ve got car insurance. What’s wrong with asking that if you’re going to work with kids, that you’ve got to working with children’s check?” he said.

“The registration will be principles-based … but if you’re doing complicated tasks which go to people’s safety, I want to make sure that the person doing it can actually do that job.”

Despite the government’s win in passing the stalled legislation, it has faced criticism.

Greens’ disability persons spokesman Jordon Steele-John has called the Bill “the greatest betrayal of our community ever perpetrated by the government.”

“So many disabled people, our allies and our representative organisations asked Minister Shorten for this Bill not to proceed. Yet the Labor and Liberal parties did a deal behind closed doors to pass this legislation,” he said.

“We know the passage of this Bill will see Labor cut billions of dollars of cuts to people’s NDIS support packages.

“Under Labor’s NDIS, disabled people in this country will be less safe. Too many in our community will go without vital support and we as a community will not forget this betrayal.“