The ACT Disability Caucus, representing organisations led by and for people with disability in the ACT, support reform that strengthens the NDIS, improves consistency, and addresses exploitation and fraud. We do not support reform that narrows access, removes necessary supports, or shifts people with disability into systems that are not yet capable of meeting people’s needs.
Recent Commonwealth announcements by Mark Butler indicate a shift towards a more tightly controlled Scheme, to be implemented in stages through to 2030. Many implementation details remain unconfirmed, and the ACT Disability Caucus will continue to monitor and respond as further information becomes available.
Reform that removes support before alternatives exist is not reform. It is the displacement of risk onto people with disability, families, and already strained systems – including ACT Government services.
For many people with disability, these reforms are not administrative changes. They go directly to whether a person can leave the house, maintain housing, go to work, connect with others, and participate in everyday life. These concerns are amplified by an existing cost-of-living crisis in which people with disability are already facing housing unaffordability and rising costs directly associated with disability – costs that do not diminish when NDIS funding is reduced. Reform must be judged against that reality, not only by what it saves, but by whether people with disability are safer, better supported, and able to live with dignity, independence, and choice.
The ACT Disability Caucus considers the following actions critical and non-negotiable.
- No person with disability should lose access to essential supports unless appropriate, funded, and accessible alternatives are already in place and demonstrably working.
- Assessment tools, eligibility criteria, funding rules, and transition arrangements must be transparent and publicly available prior to implementation.
- All elements of reform must be designed in partnership with people with disability and the organisations that represent them.
The ACT Government is not a bystander in these reforms – it is a signed partner in the redesign of the disability support system. The ACT Disability Caucus welcomes Minister Orr’s acknowledgement that the changes are extensive and that the Territory must respond. The ACT Disability Caucus is ready to work alongside government to shape that response. We recognise genuine challenges within the Scheme – including inconsistency, quality gaps and fraud – and we want to be part of solving them.
The full position paper is available below