The 2023-24 budget speech did make mention of the NDIS in the last line and only that it “is here to stay” but nothing else. This seemed strange as the Scheme will account for forty-three billion dollars of Australia budget., This makes the NDIS more expensive than Medicare and comparable to the forty-nine billion we spend on defence.

The budget papers did lay out a plan to attempt and limit the growth of the NDIS to eight percent a year by 2026, this target is ambitious as the Schemes is expected to grow fourteen percent this year alone. The budget speaks of a finical stability framework with will limit growth by stamping out fraud and non compliance and seek to create a more efficient NDIS.

Although Labor’s NDIS plans are vague at the moment the NDIS has been under review since October with the results to published later this year in which a more concrete growth plan should be outlined.

Image: Image: Shutterstock: jadecraven

Produced By: Dominic Giles

Featured In Story: Dr Helen Dickinson, Professor of Public Service Research at the School of Business, UNSW Canberra

First aired on The Wire, Tuesday 16 May 2023