Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to speak about a vulnerable young person from Kooyong today. His needs are being disregarded and disrespected by the NDIS. Peter is 13. He has level 3 autism, anxiety disorder and expressive language delay. He's been dependent on NDIS support since it was established. Late last year, Peter lost his dad, and his mental health deteriorated. His family was told to get a plan review, including a functional capacity assessment, and that cost them almost $1,000. But the review resulted in cuts to his psychology supports, despite a clear documented increase in his functional needs. Peter's mum has requested an internal review. My team has advocated on his behalf. But, again, the NDIS upheld a 64 per cent reduction in his plan—less speech therapy, less psychology, less social skills supports. The review actually accepted evidence from his treating team. It accepted that Peter had made meaningful progress in therapy, but it cut his supports nonetheless.

Peter's mum knows, as so many carers around Australia know, that things are about to get worse for disabled people under the NDIS. Under the government's proposed cuts to the NDIS, which are currently in front of this parliament, pathways for participants to challenge unfair decisions like this are going to become much narrower. Having an inadequate plan under the NDIS will no longer be grounds to request a reassessment, and plan design is increasingly going to be in the hands of automated assessment tools. If the computer says no, the government will say no, and you will have no right of appeal. We've seen how poorly this has worked for vulnerable people in aged care, but the government is proposing to roll out the same unfair system at the NDIS.

The government is also going to be able to deny vulnerable people NDIS supports if they haven't received all the medical therapies available for their treatments. You might be on a waiting list for those treatments, sometimes for years at a time, but that will be grounds to deny access to care under the NDIS. That is a cruel paradox. Peter is just one young person from Kooyong, but he's much loved, and his community wants better for him. They want a government which cares for vulnerable people and helps them achieve their best, not one that makes it harder for young people and families who are doing it tough at a tough time.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.