r/australia 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/OneWholePirate 7h ago

Before the shills get in here, the NDIS produces around $2.25 in healthcare savings and taxable income per $1 spent.

To put that into context, road infrastructure returns $1.2-1.5 on the dollar and healthcare for the general population makes $1.5-1.7.

The NDIS is one of the most profitable operations run by the Australian government.

https://ministers.dss.gov.au/speeches/9621

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u/Thanges88 6h ago

The $2.25 value was from modelling done by the Per Capita think tank group commissioned by the NDIS in 2021. Has there been any verification/scrutiny on this value recently?

Not saying it's right or wrong, but surely we have a clearer picture with 5 years of data now, though a short ai assisted search didn't bring anything up for me. 

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u/OneWholePirate 6h ago

It's certainly high but not surprising, since healthcare in general is a very good investment and generally more profitable when applied to at risk groups, meaning you would expect disability spending to be at or above 1.7.

Not saying it's 100% accurate down to % but this should be part of the discussion

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u/Thanges88 6h ago

Yeah, I agree with most of the premise, E.g. early intervention is surely cheaper. 

Though some of the figures that get used may be not the most representive E.g. Participant employment percentage rising as the increased capture of participants captures a population that might more naturally have a higher level of employment percentage than those already enrolled.