David Latham’s Post

Name: David Latham on LinkedIn: #budget2024 #disabilityrights #auspol
Uploaded: 2024-05-17T00:26:48.946Z
Duration: 8 min 25 s
Channel: David Latham

David Latham

Media & Lobbying Consultant at First Tier Media

5mo Edited

Here's Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) CEO, Ross Bryan Joyce speaking with ABC News Radio's Thomas Oriti about AFDO's response to disability spending in the budget. While there has been a lot of framing around the exorbitant cost of the NDIS scheme, it needs to be noted that the scheme not only helps people with a disability live their best lives, but has a $1 to $1.25 return on investment and multiplier effect in the economy. There is also the question of keeping the government on a timeline regarding the roll-out of the 222 Disability Royal Commission recommendations, as well as those from the NDIS Review. For that, funding of disability representative orgs like AFDO is crucial. https://lnkd.in/dF4AaEZg #budget2024 #disabilityrights #auspol

Transcript

Let's take a closer look at the budget down what it means for Australians living with disability. It's been labeled a cost of living budget by many, with energy bill rebates, tax cuts, increases to rent assistance all included in the government spending plan. But the budget unveiled by the Treasurer this week also seeks to rein in the cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. And that's a big task, with the government planning to stop the DIS from growing by another $14 billion. That move has some people with disability. Nervous about how it plans to do that? Ross Joyce is the CEO of the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations and joins us live on the line now. Morning to you Ross. Good morning Thomas. What do you make of the budget? Ohh look from our point of view, whilst and you did that in introduction, there's a sprinkling of cost of living relief. We just think there's an inadequate response to significant challenges and major reforms that are facing people with disability, their families and their communities. Right now. And also those major reforms will impact on them over the next decade. Can you give us an example? Yeah, sure. I mean, we had major reviews come out one from the Disability Royal Commission late last year after and our membership of 36 organisations representing people with disability provided our report card on that back in December. The government still hasn't come out with its response to all of those 222 recommendations. We also had the NCIS review which you mentioned about the NDS that came out at the same time late last year after we're now 36 member organisations again are about to release our report on Monday, which gives another report card from our point of view of what each of those recommendations mean and what we take the view of those to be sure. But we wouldn't have expected those responses in the budget anyway though, right? That's that's not what would have been in the budget papers. Well, no, but but the reality of it is some of that stuff's actually happening with the NTIS. So we don't have a response yet from the government and all those recommendations from the DS review and yet we're proceeding along and there's legislation happening. And I understand, you know, the legislative processes, you have to get some legislation up before you can actually enact some of those recommendations, however. We still don't have a full response from the government on it's it's review of all of those recommendations before we're already proceeding down the path. And there are some things in the budget which cover off on issues that were raised in the NES review. Yeah. Now let's ask, I want to ask you about that, let's, let's focus on that. So I mean the, the, the figure we're seeing is about $14 billion, right. And the government is for awhile been talking about getting in DAS spending under control. First of all, do you accept? Yeah, I mean. This is getting more and more expensive it it does need to be looked at. Yeah. Look, I think one of the issues is, Thomas, that you know the NDA is actually now puts a real spotlight on the cost prior to the NDS coming in, of course all of those costs were spread across at a federal level across a range of departments and areas. What we're now done is focusing on here's what we're spending, here's what we're doing and and you know, so you've got that part going and we're a little bit tired of all of the talk. That's after our members and the disability sector about the sort of negativity that's been focused on cost blowout and economic burden. It's pretty simplistic though because framing that, you know, that's a simplistic framing, it overlooks the positive outcomes of investing in timely disability supports and it's actual contribution of Australia's economic growth. I think the last time was on, shall I mentioned that, you know it's it's a 2 for one and a bit more of what goes back into the economy. That's being spent on the NCIS, so it's not, it's not going into people with disabilities bank accounts and disappearing, it's going into people with disability for their supports and services, which are then spent. And go back through the economy. So yeah, you know, I think that's what your listeners need to be aware of and it's good. And we've got some real savings across health, mental health and aged care because otherwise they would be impacted as well. And and sorry interrupt, but we have been sort of conscious of yeah, not not framing it around this prohibitive cost burden on the Australian taxpayer. The fact that it has been life saving for hundreds of thousands of Australians. Absolutely. But but it Needless to say it is extremely expensive and the government needs to be aware of that. What do you make of the government's approach to controlling the cost of the scheme now? And an important to note, the government saying, hang on, this is we're not cutting $14 billion from the scheme. We're doing things like, you know, not ensuring that that plans are automatically topped up if if funds are exhausted, that sort of thing. So do those tweaks to the scheme make sense? Look, I think some of them do the the plan inflation one you mentioned and that is about automatic top UPS if your plane gets exhausted. I mean something in that though tells me that there's something upstream, not right with how the plans are put together in the 1st place. You shouldn't need a top up. Well, you shouldn't need a top up because you your plan should be covering you for the expenses over a set period of time of whatever time that planes operating for and that should be a done through what the agency is responsible for in ensuring happens. So it's a bit surprising that we've got that but I don't think we'd have a a problem in ensuring that that's not continuing. However we're talking about also you know there is inflationary costs, costs do go up. And we've seen that with the cost of living for everything that goes up over time and that has to be taken into account. So as long as that's taken into account because you know price has changed for services and supports of course. Hmm owing to other other challenges. Is there a just the top up stuff I I must have been I wasn't sort of aware there was an automatic top up of of plans if if the allocation was exhausted Is is there a risk there if someone needs something that's you know life saving and they haven't got the funds and there's not. Not an automatic top up, They're kind of left without something crucial. Yeah. Look, I'm well aware of what could actually happen. And that is that in a lot of cases and there's some great service providers out there, the service providers wear it. They continue providing services and then they find that the agency won't provide the payments for those services. So I think that's a real risk. That's something we are a bit cautious about in in you know it's the detail on this that counts. How's that going to work? What does it mean? If I require something essential, I I would assume we can assume that that would be provided, but we want to make sure with the agency and through the indios. Itself that that is those safeguards are in place for those plan providers. And I suppose my other question on that is how much money are you really talking about there that happens on an annual basis. Well, they've seen that or the government saying could you know it could save billions over a a four year period. So it sounds like it's quite a lot of money. But I mean the well, they roped it in with a number of things though. Yeah, it wasn't just that. So indeed indeed I just before I let you go almost out of time. But Bill Shorten, the NDS ministry you know he has said these changes will be made in consultation with the community. Does that give you some faith? Is it a bit early to be to be criticising these measures? Ohh look look I have a lot of confidence in Bill. I know Bill is really committed to the scheme and has been in his very passionate about it. But yeah, we we do like to make sure that we're gonna hold well we are gonna hold the government account that this has to be done in code design and consultation with people with disability and with their representative organisations such as After and its membership. So we're we're confident that we're going to push our peace and we want to see more coming back from the. Coming in on doing that. Good on your Ross, thanks for joining us. Thanks, Thomas. Russ, Joyce C of the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, the opposition's budget reply tonight. You can hear that on ABC News Radio from 7:30.

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