The report reveals there is little evidence to support claims of fraud within the NDIS by organised crime.
It also found the overriding premise of cuts being required to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the NDIS is false, given a 25% tax on gas exports would, over the next four years, raise $31.8 billion.
That is more than enough to cover the cuts, while the level of fuel tax credits to be provided to mining companies over the next four years is equivalent to 61% of the proposed cuts.
Findings include:
- Over the next four years a 25% tax on gas exports would raise $31.4 billion more than the total of the cuts to the NDIS.
- Over the next four years the budget projects to spend $46 billion on providing fuel tax credits, which is $10.8 billion more than the NDIS cuts.
- $22bn of the fuel tax credits are expected to go to the mining industry.
“The cuts to the NDIS are deep and brutal, revealing in a truly stark fashion what happens when a government chooses the profits of gas companies over the lives of Australians” said Greg Jericho, Chief Economist at The Australia Institute.
“Treasury modelling suggests the cuts will lead to a net 160,000 fewer people on the scheme – due to 240,000 people leaving the scheme and 80,000 new people coming into the scheme.
“The care needs of these Australians will not disappear. They will be merely forced onto the families of those whose coverage has been lost – either in terms of out-of-pocket expenses for care, or in the time family members will be required to undertake to replace the care currently done within the NDIS.
“The cuts to the NDIS are neither inevitable nor needed.”
