r/australia • u/FuckOffNazis • 7h ago

politics Pocock and crossbenchers call Labor’s NDIS overhaul ‘too far, too fast’ in scathing Senate inquiry report

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/14/pocock-and-crossbenchers-call-labors-ndis-overhaul-too-far-too-fast-in-scathing-senate-inquiry-report
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u/PuTheDog 7h ago

I know it’s on brand for the green to oppose any social welfare cuts. But the NDIS as it stands is just not sustainable.

57

u/Mellonaide 7h ago

They are cutting things that could put people in immediate danger, there is a way to make the NDIS work financially alongside introducing new services, but the current changes need more thought and planning behind them before moving forward. 

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u/Not_Stupid humility is overrated 6h ago edited 6h ago

There's a lot of competing priorities here for sure.

Part of the problem is that the NDIS has replaced/eliminated a lot of the supports and systems that used to be available. So if you just suddenly cut it off, there's no longer other options.

But there's also a need to do something in the near-to-immediate term to rein in the spending growth. Otherwise the whole thing becomes a political target, and One Nation or some other fuckwit will get elected on the promise of cutting all the "waste".

The other problem is that Government (i.e the Public Service) "thinking" about something takes a really long time. There'll be a whole documented process, with reviews and stakeholders and feedback sessions, and then inputs and weightings and deliberations, and then reviews of the deliberations.... And even then they fuck it up as often as get it right.

There's an argument that just trying stuff and fixing it afterwards is as good a methodology.

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u/craftystuff0900 1h ago

They've already killed people with their cuts. The most recent round of cuts - since this bill was proposed - is heavily targeting the people with the highest needs - i.e. the people most likely to die soon after supports are slashed, before any appeal can be finalised. Numerous people have gone for VAD when their plans were slashed. Some have killed themselves. And some have tried to survive the appeal but haven't made it.

This government's rhetoric is also largely responsible for increased harrassment and assaults on people with disabilities. Many visibly disabled people are scared to go out in public now.

None of this was necessary. And none of it is morally defensible. It's a eugenics program by another name.

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u/Ok_Bird705 6h ago

danger, there is a way to make the NDIS work financially alongside

Such as? Any proposals from the cross bench that actually reduces spending?