Henry Pike (Bowman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The National Disability Insurance Scheme was supposed to be about dignity and choice, an opportunity for Australians with disability to live with greater independence, to access the supports they need and to exercise real control over their own lives. Nobody in this parliament is a stranger to the benefits of the scheme and the challenges that the scheme is putting on the federal budget. NDIS costs are soaring. By 2028 it will cost over $28 billion.

The system clearly needs reform to make it financially sustainable, but rather than taking that meaningful reform to tackle those ballooning costs, the Albanese government is going into panic mode. They are swinging the axe not at waste and rorts but at the supports vulnerable Australians rely on. The government has this month slashed travel subsidies for allied health providers, cutting it in half overnight with no consultation and barely any notice.

The impact has been immediate and severe, especially for participants on the bay islands in my electorate. They are some of the most vulnerable Australians, now struggling to access the in-person therapy that they need. These changes make it near impossible for therapists to service families on our bay islands, where face-to-face support is the only opportunity for many of these vulnerable families. This isn't fixing the system; it's cutting people off from it.

But it hasn't stopped there. They've not only halved travel funding; they've also cut therapy rates and frozen others.

In the Redlands, the impact is already hitting home. Local physios and Ots are telling me that they simply can't keep going. OTs haven't had a rate increase in seven years. Physios have just had their rates cut by $10 per hour. At the same time, the Fair Work Commission increased award wages across the sector. Providers are expected to pay more while their incomes are frozen or falling and the costs of fuel, rent, equipment, insurance and admin keep rising. Many highly trained professionals are walking away from the sector altogether. Some are now earning more as support workers. If the government wishes to tackle these challenges, a smarter fix would be to start with the bloated bureaucracy.

Right now, providers are drowning in red tape. Unnecessary NDIA paperwork burns them out, exhausts families and wastes taxpayer money. Thousands of reports get written every year; very few get read. We can reduce costs without gutting care, but it will take leadership, not lazy policy. I've written to the minister on this issue, and I received a response yesterday. It dismisses the concerns of my local providers and it leaves them with an ominous warning. It says, 'The 2024-25 annual pricing review reflects the start of a multi-year transition towards more tailored pricing,' so they can expect more of the same—more cuts to come, more vulnerable Australians unable to get support they need, more providers going to the wall. The dream of the NDIS is unfortunately becoming a nightmare for many of the people operating and participating in this system in my electorate. (Time expired)

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