The abilityNEWS Daily
The Big Story
Mark Butler at the Press Club (courtesy The Australian)
The Real Reason Behind Butler’s Big Change
“The only solution is therefore a nation-wide, demand-driven system of care tailored to the needs of each individual and established on a durable, long-term basis.”
- Julia Gillard, 29 Nov 2012
As PM Julia Gillard introduced the NDIS Bill to Parliament she guaranteed two things. It would be designed around individual needs, and it would be affordable.
It’s only taken a decade, but it’s now obvious these pressures are directly contradictory. The cost of enrolling young children, in particular boys with autism, was cannibalizing the public goodwill necessary for the scheme to exist. The public would, at some stage, no longer be prepared to foot the bill.
This had been becoming obvious for years, but no politician was prepared to take away shiny gifts once they’d been handed out.
Coalition governments ignored the growing problem because it was often their voters - protective, over-invested parents - who were responsible for the blow-out. Bill Shorten didn’t address the real reason for the added cost either. He refused to act, and simply wandered around blaming bad actors who were supposedly ‘rorting the scheme’.
Now, finally, Mark Butler has acted.
Make no mistake about his determination. He knows he hasn’t got the states on board yet, and he understands the amount of entrenched opposition he faces from the many individuals - parents and providers - who are going to lose out as these reforms kick in.
Nevertheless he’s ploughing ahead because he believes in the reforms. And, critically, Butler’s got Anthony Albanese’s backing. He’ll need all the help he can get if he’s going to make the new scheme work.
The big risk is that Butler’s now embarked on an all-or-nothing bet.
Author’s Note
Just when you thought you’d heard all about the dramatic changes to the NDIS, along comes a brilliantly sourced story from the Australian Financial Review’s Phil Coorey.
This suggests there are more reforms to come if the system is to be made sustainable:
Federal Labor’s plan to reduce the cost of the NDIS by removing children with mild autism and developmental delays is also expected to strip away some participants with mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, which add almost $6 billion a year in spending to the scheme.
The Briefing
REACTION: Nothing about us, without us
by Inclusion Australia
Disability organisations have criticised the federal government for announcing key reforms without prior engagement with the community. They stress co-design is essential to ensure proposed foundational supports meet the needs of those outside the NDIS.
Centre for Accessibility Australia Seeks New Board Member to Join Our Team!
by Centre For Accessibility Australia
Centre for Accessibility Australia is inviting expressions of interest for a new board member to help guide its advocacy efforts. The organisation supports inclusive digital environments through resources, a helpdesk, and collaboration with sector partners.
Workshop for Pre-school children
by Disability Advocacy Resource Unit
Parents of children with developmental delay or disability starting Prep in 2026 can now begin preparing for the school transition. ACD offers a workshop covering language used in schools, building partnerships, and planning with kindergartens and schools.
Credential your Disability Based Violence Prevention People
by Women With Disabilities Australia
Women with Disabilities Victoria is offering a credential recognising practitioners trained in preventing gender and disability-based violence. Eligible candidates must submit an expression of interest by 11 September 2025.
The Wrap
NDIS costs will still need to be reined in, but this autism plan is a good start
by SMH
Sam Bennett says, Beyond the budgetary imperatives, NDIS reform is also vital because the scheme as currently designed is ill equipped to meet the needs of some of the 740,000 Australians who rely on it. In particular, the NDIS has become what Butler described on Wednesday as the only port in the storm for hundreds of thousands of families of children with developmental delay and autism.
Families on NDIS just want certainty about what Thriving Kids means for their future
by ABC
"The only lifeboat in the ocean" or the "oasis in the desert". Whatever euphemism you choose to use, it's been made crystal clear: the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) simply can't assist all 5.5 million Australians with disability.
‘Offensive’: Federal government’s move to cut children with autism from NDIS sparks backlash
by news.com.au
The federal government’s move to cut children with autism from the rapidly ballooning National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been met with mixed reaction from experts, as one child psychologist blasts the Health Minister’s “offensive” suggestion that children are being “over-serviced”.
I’m a parent of two autistic sons. Navigating the NDIS has become my full-time job
by SMH
As a mother with two autistic sons, I witnessed the immediate reaction of parents to Health Minister Mark Butler’s announcement on Wednesday that kids would be moved off the NDIS. There was anxiety. Fear that the years we spent getting our children diagnosed, and the years we’ve spent trying to find them the specialists they need for support, would all be gone.
Parents call disability groups over concerns about Thriving Kids program and NDIS access
by Daily Telegraph
Disability advocates warn children with autism are already being cut from the NDIS, despite government assurances that no child will be left behind. The claims by parents came as the first estimates emerged about how much money the move will actually save taxpayers.
What are the changes to the NDIS and how will it affect those already using it?
by The Guardian
Among other changes, the Albanese government is introducing alternative support programs – particularly for those with less severe disabilities. Here’s what’s been announced and what it will mean for Australians accessing the scheme.
'Not mild at all': One word in Butler's NDIS plan has a mother of autistic girls worried
by SBS
Families and advocates fear autistic children will lose vital support as the federal government prepares to move those with so-called "mild to moderate" autism off the NDIS and into a new program, Thriving Kids.
Centacare announces end to NDIS-funded disability services after 40 years of ministry
by Catholic Leader
BRISBANE Church leaders have announced today Centacare will withdraw from NDIS-funded disability services by the end of 2025. The decision affects about 700 disability services clients and 600 staff. “This has been a very difficult decision,” Centacare Council chair Vanessa Sullivan said.
The Diary
