Flaws of ‘clunky’ scheme laid bare
THE failures of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) were laid bare at a forum in Cairns on Thursday.
Speaking after the event, opposition spokesman for the NDIS Bill Shorten said the federal government was spending money on lawyers to fight people making NDIS claims.
“The NDIS is a great model, it is a great thing and it has changed so many lives, but it’s clunky, cumbersome, and it’s becoming difficult for everyone to operate,” he said.
There was “a stealthy campaign of cuts to thousands of people’s packages” and not enough service providers, he said.
“You can get a package of $50,000 or $60,000 in Far North Queensland, but you don’t have the ability to use it because there’s not enough allied health professionals,” Mr Shorten said.
Labor candidate for Leichhardt Elida Faith pointed out Medicare, superannuation and the NDIS were introduced by Labor governments.
“We have spent the best part of a decade watching the Morrison government’s cuts, mismanagement and chaos on the NDIS – we have just sat down with (people) and they are frustrated, they are at their wit’s end,” Ms Faith said.
“They want the NDIS
fixed.”
Mr Shorten said Ms Faith “didn’t pack up her toys and go home when defeated at the last election, she’s here working hard”.
He took aim at incumbent Warren Entsch, saying “Warren is the Foghorn Leghorn of Far North Queensland, the big old rooster who turns up and stamps his foot, it makes a big old noise but not a lot happens”.
Asked for a response, Mr Entsch said the LNP had put $35m to date into the NDIS.
“I concede it was introduced by the Labor government, but they didn’t put a dollar into it, we have put in $35m and continued to increase it as demand has grown, there has never been a reduction,” Mr Entsch said.
“Obviously I am getting under his skin.
“It always happens when they have nothing intelligent to contribute, they make personal slurs and I am not going to go down that path.”