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Legal bodies sound alarm on NDIS 'under-spend'
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) have expressed disappointment about a "multi-billion under-spend" of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funds in last night's federal budget.
Emma Musgrave
Following Treasurer Josh Frydenberg handing down the budget last night, ALHR and ALA were quick to issue statements regarding under-spend on NDIS.
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“The predicted budget surplus has resulted from an under-spend on the NDIS and we know that this is not from lack of demand, but is due to the problems many of our clients with disabilities are experiencing in accessing the Scheme,” said Noor Blumer, national president at ALA.
“The under-spend reflects the systemic problems with the Scheme. Too many of our clients with disabilities are not receiving the supports and plans they need, and the review process is proving to be inadequate.
“We are also very disappointed that the budget has failed to provide adequate funding for legal aid and community legal centres. Disadvantaged people in the community need to be able to access timely, essential legal advice and information to help resolve their legal problems and, without the funding this sector needs, too many people will be unable to exercise their rights under the law."
Natalie Wade, ALHR Vice President, and Chair of its Disability Rights Committee, also expressed disappointment about the underspend.
“People with disability and their advocates have been screaming for the Government to properly spend funds on the Scheme so as to ensure that necessary services are delivered. However this budget makes it clear they have gone unheard," she said.
"ALHR calls on the Government to publicly guarantee that any underspent money is spent on people with disability and nowhere else."
Meanwhile, Matthew Bowden, co-CEO of People with Disability Australia, said: “The almost $4 billion underspend of NDIS funds is a national disgrace, and we completely oppose the spending of these funds anywhere but on people with disability".
“People with disability come to us every day in despair because they can’t access the NDIS, their funding packages have been cut or they aren’t getting the supports they urgently need.
“Where is this money going, if it’s not being spent making sure that people with disability can have the supports they need for an equal life?”
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the Australian Pro Bono Centre as the body who made the aforementioned comments which were in fact made by People with Disability Australia.
