Disability advocates warn Government cuts to social services grants could affect NDIS rollout

Updated

A leading disability advocacy group is warning the Federal Government's cuts to a range of social services grants could affect the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) is a national body representing advocacy groups, but its funding of $165,000 per year ends in February.

"We can see the Government is trying to make savings, but what we see from our perspective is that it's false economy to cut back on the voices that get through to the Government," DANA chief executive Mary Mallett told AM.

"What the national peaks, the national advocacy bodies provide to Government is the direct voice of the people who are impacted by Government decisions.

"Now if the Government isn't hearing those voices and not having it represented to them properly then they're not taking those into account at the time they make policy decisions, so it's the reason why national bodies exist, and why there's always been a place for them.

"But the current Government appears to think differently."

The decision to cut $240 million from a range of homelessness, housing and disability grants dates back to the federal budget in May, when groups which receive Government funding were told they would have to apply for a smaller pool of money.

Ms Mallett said unlike some housing and homelessness groups, the decision to cease funding to DANA did not come as a surprise, because 13 grants to disabilities groups were cut to seven.

"Funding has been protected for women with a disability, children with a disability, Aboriginal people with a disability, and people from ethnic background with a disability," she said.

"So that's a good thing - we're not saying organisations that got funding shouldn't have got it."

Government says it is fully committed to NDIS

The decision was made by the previous social services minister Kevin Andrews, but his successor Scott Morrison has made it clear he will not be reversing the outcome of the funding round.

"There's been $800 million in funding for organisations to get on with the work that they are doing, and that includes over 100 new organisations out there doing work," Mr Morrison told ABC News 24.

But Ms Mallett said DANA was worried about what it could mean for the NDIS as it is rolled out over the next few years.

"To dismantle and take away the representatives of people with a disability and their advocates at the same time just makes no sense," she said.

"There are good people working for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and thinking through these issues.

"But it certainly seems to me that it will have an impact if the issues are not able to have the input of the people who are affected by the decisions ... it has to impact on how effective the scheme is."

Assistant Social Services Minister Mitch Fifield carries most of the day-to-day responsibility for the NDIS, and said in a statement that the Government was "fully committed to the $22 billion NDIS, and to individual advocacy, which will continue to be supported by the Government".

Senator Fifield said the funding for systemic advocacy was separate and was made contestable through a tender round at the request of the sector.

He said the six successful organisations would be well placed to work with other groups to help ensure the voices of people with disability were heard as the NDIS was rolled out.

Topics: disabilities, government-and-politics, federal-government, health, australia

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