Roger Cook still ‘concerned’ at NDIS overhaul as landmark laws to change disability scheme passes Parliament

The NDIS will be overhauled to contain spiralling costs after Labor and the Coalition defied last-minute lobbying from furious disability advocates to pass the biggest changes in the scheme’s history. After “reluctantly” endorsing the legislation along with other premiers, Roger Cook remains “absolutely concerned” the Commonwealth could use the redesign to shift costs and responsibility for disability services to the States. NDIS Minister Bill Shorten is celebrating a major political victory after striking a deal with the Coalition to get landmark laws to shake up the $42 billion scheme through Parliament. Mr Shorten said claims from disability advocates that the changes would ruin the scheme were “wrong”. “We could do nothing. We could put our head in the sand and say, change is too hard,” he said. “I say never change in fear, but never fear to change. “ The changes include creating a new process to assess the needs of NDIS participants. It also includes a raft of contentious measures to curb the scheme’s out-of-control costs, including stopping automatic top-ups of participant budgets and restricting what can be purchased using NDIS funds. The draft banned list includes spending on holidays, gambling and alcohol. The legislation — designed to help save $14.4 billion over the next four years — was put to a vote on Thursday after Mr Shorten finally secured the support of premiers following months of opposition. Mr Cook said the States “reluctantly” agreed to back the legislation after receiving assurances the Commonwealth would work closely with them on a wider overhaul of the NDIS, including setting up a new system of “foundational supports” for disabled people outside the scheme. The States will be expected to deliver the supports through schools and other community settings, raising concern among premiers that the Federal Government will attempt to shift costs on their books. National cabinet last year agreed to split costs 50:50 between the Commonwealth and the States but critical questions, including exactly what the “foundational supports” will be, remain unanswered. “(I am) absolutely concerned that the Commonwealth may be simply passing the costs and the obligations associated with a scheme that they established back to the states,” Mr Cook said. “We’ve all said that we’re happy to work constructively with the Commonwealth to reach an agreement about longer-term reform of the NDIS scheme, but it can’t simply be the Commonwealth throwing up their hands and saying ‘this is too difficult – States, you take care of it’.” Asked to respond to Mr Cook’s concerns, Mr Shorten thanked the WA Premier for backing the legislation and committing to work with the Commonwealth on the reforms. “When I see a person with a disability, I don’t see a West Australian with a disability or a Commonwealth person with disability — I just see a human being,” he said. Disability advocates were in Canberra on Thursday in an 11th-hour attempt to stop legislation they feared would deprive NDIS participants of desperately needed support. “This is a very dark day for people with a disability in Australia,” disability advocate Sam Connor said. An emotional Greens disability spokesman and WA senator Jordon Steele-John said the Labor-Coalition deal was the “greatest betrayal of disabled people and our families in the history of this country”. Shadow NDIS Minister Michael Sukkar said the legislation was just the start of what was required to fix the scheme. “Bill Shorten is now on notice and the Coalition will be closely watching his administration of the scheme — because beyond today — there is still so much work to be done, from addressing the blown-out wait times to detailing what foundational supports will be made available,” he said.