Health and Disability Minister, Mark Butler, has outlined big changes to the NDIS in his first major address since taking on the portfolio in May.
He said the NDIS was a significant achievement by disability advocates that had become a key piece of Australia’s social policy.
“But the job is not done,” he said.
Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing and Minister for the NDIS, Mark Butler, addresses the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
“The scheme is now entering its adolescence, a period that all parents know involves the maturing of our beautiful children, but a period also that can be full of risks that things will run off the rails without a judicious dose of management and supervision.”
There are two main takeaways from Butler’s speech to the National Press Club: First, that the Albanese government wants to bring spending down further than the 8 per cent growth target set at National Cabinet. He thinks a growth rate of 5 or 6 per cent is more realistic.
Second, he confirmed that the NDIS is not the right fit for large numbers of children with autism and developmental delays, who have flocked to the scheme. He says a new system called “Thriving Kids” will instead cater to these children. For the first time, he gives a new date for its full rollout: July 2027.