Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

Over the past few weeks I've been inundated with messages from NDIS participants and allied health professionals across my electorate, all sharing the same story: the Albanese government's sudden changes to the NDIS pricing arrangements are unworkable and unfair, and they are causing pain.

I've already met with allied health professionals, many of them small community based providers. They tell me that the reduction in professional fees and travel allowances will make it almost impossible to keep their doors open. I've also spoken to countless participants who rely on these services every single week. For them, these changes are not just numbers on a page; they are a direct threat to their independence, their mobility and their quality of life.

One local participant—I'll call him Andrew S—lives with Parkinson's disease. Andrew is 57. He has a family and, until his diagnosis, was living a happy and productive life in sunny Caloundra. Now living with a progressive, life-limiting condition that steadily erodes function and independence, Andrew was recently reassessed as having higher support needs. His package was increased from $50,000 over three years to $144,000 over two years. On paper, this should have been a life-changing support. But, under these new NDIS rules, that funding is meaningless if his therapist cannot survive financially. He now faces the heartbreaking reality of dipping into his own savings and using his credit card to pay for critical therapy sessions—the very therapy sessions that the NDIS is meant to provide. Andrew told me:

My disability is lifelong. Instead of my NDIS package supporting me, I'm left worrying about money while my kids watch me struggle with Parkinson's and the stress it brings.

Sadly, Andrew's story is not unique, and it's a warning sign of what is coming for countless families if these changes go ahead unchecked. The coalition has formally written to the Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, calling for these changes to be deferred for at least three months to allow for proper consultation and planning. We've made it clear that this is not just about numbers; it's about people, their families and their futures. We'll continue to hold the government to account and fight to protect participants and the providers they rely upon.

If the government does not change course, it will not just be therapy services that close; it'll be the doors to independence and dignity for the most vulnerable of Australians. We've repeatedly said that we'll work with the government to make the NDIS more effective and more sustainable. However, throwing the baby out with the bathwater will only make life more difficult and more expensive for vulnerable Australians.

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