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Last night’s Budget had to answer three key questions from a disability perspective.

Firstly how does it leave people with disability and will the sector be better off? Secondly we need to ask if anyone loses out, or is it fair? That’s because if any other major group in society is left feeling excluded and angry then the budget won’t work. And finally, an extension of that question: will the country, as a whole, be better off?

All in all? Just over $2 billion in savings, tens of billions in extra spending, and deficits stretching into the future as far as the eye can see . . .

But let’s go through these questions in turn. Firstly, the sector.

The good news is that the government still values disability with money allocated for the continued growth of the NDIS. The push to curb growth continues, but the scheme is still funded (if being made ‘more sustainable’).

An extra $175 million’s been allocated over the next four years to tackle fraud. On a more positive note though, an extra $424 million will be used to fund new supports. This is part of a drive to make the scheme more ‘evidence-based’, and developing programs that link people with disability with carers.

Improving the NDIS seems to be the aim, rather than growing it, with the budget stressing that this will ‘provide value for participants’. There will also be extra support for increasing accessibility in community spaces.

Money is also allocated to other supports not within the NDIS itself. The fact that consequent reductions in spending will be good for the government’s financial bottom line almost guarantees that these reforms will be driven with particular energy.

Programs that help to protect vulnerable people will likewise be enhanced. Although registration of providers won’t be increased, the government clearly wants to ensure the probity of the system by cracking down on operators seeking to exploit people with disability.

The budget will increase employment opportunities by establishing a Specialist Disability Employment Program. This will provide tailored support and create pathways to work, with a new Disability Employment Centre of Excellence improving the capacity of current employment service providers.

There will be a continued effort to collect relevant information from the sector and use this to improve policy and service delivery.

Even if they don’t change lives, these initiatives are all positive from a disability perspective. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we should be dancing in the streets.

So let’s consider those other questions . . .