The abilityNEWS Daily

The Big Story

Cuts to services in the regions (photo supplied: Michelle Landry)

Cuts Bite in the Bush

On Tuesday, we try to focus on the business of disability. For the past few months the sector has been traumatised by the sudden, arbitrary cuts to rebates. It’s difficult, however, to see any evidence that widespread protests are having much effect.

The relatively swift imposition of a completely new system by the NDIA not only swiftly destroyed the business model of many providers of professional services, it gutted the sector in regional and remote areas. Protests and trauma have accompanied the consequent, swinging reduction in services.

What’s been significant, however, is that government hasn’t listened.

Every day our wrap has carried reports of services - particularly in regional and remote areas - that are increasingly unable to cope. Warnings that they will be unable to cope and have to shut down. These have been met with a tin ear. What is perhaps even more significant is that these stories haven’t been picked up in the mainstream media.

As far as the big cities are concerned, these cuts aren’t happening. And this is the vital political dimension of this particular story.

Until now, we’ve viewed these changes through the perspective of the people with disability who are losing vital services. This is the way abilityNEWS has unashamedly framed our reporting. But there is another perspective, and it is this rival viewpoint that is setting the agenda.

This is driven by politics and money. The finance part of this equation is simple. It’s focused on the growing cost of the NDIS and insists if people with disability want particular services they’ll have to move, because the services won’t come to them.

The political dimension is just as clear to explain. The hardest hit are people in regional and rural Australia and these people aren’t voters in Labor electorates. And perhaps that’s why these protests aren’t biting.

Author’s Note

A production error yesterday meant the link to Jeremy Bowen’s report on Gaza failed to appear. Here it is:

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The Diary

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