![\"Broede](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768815669_584_d23e85866f7a4599c50cc215246692f5e44ec5e0.png\")
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Updated June 11, 2026 \u2014 3:54pm,first published 12:29pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Disability ministers across the political divide have united to defy the Albanese government\u2019s radical overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, warning draft laws risk \u201cundermining the original intent\u201d of Julia Gillard\u2019s landmark reform.<\/p>\n In a joint submission, state and territory disability ministers said there was a \u201csignificant risk\u201d that Australians with a disability will be funnelled into hospitals \u2013 and that some will languish in ward beds with no access to disability services whatsoever \u2013 if Health Minister Mark Butler proceeds with his proposed changes in their current form.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Commonwealth is moving very rapidly to reform the NDIS,\u201d the ministers wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile elements of the proposed reforms have the potential to deliver improved outcomes, the bill in its current form risks undermining the original intent of the NDIS. The pace of reform \u2013 focused heavily on expenditure constraint, without a clearly defined broader ecosystem and with limited consultation \u2013 creates a significant risk of fragmented service delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n The ministers, from all states and territories, went on to argue they were not in a position \u2013 and have made no agreement to deliver \u2013 like-for-like services to those eventually removed from the NDIS.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a careful, coordinated approach that aligns these changes with broader improvements across the disability support system, there is a significant risk that people with disability will end up in hospitals or other settings that are inappropriate and unable to meet their needs, or have no access to services at all.<\/p>\n \u201cConcerningly, disability ministers have not been meaningfully consulted in the development of these reforms, signalling a broader shift away from shared governance despite the scheme\u2019s joint funding responsibilities. These concerns are shared across the disability sector.\u201d<\/p>\n The submission \u2013 made to a Senate committee scrutinising Labor\u2019s proposed amendments \u2013 was published on Thursday.<\/p>\n Labor holds power in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT, while Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are governed by the Coalition.<\/p>\n Related Article Ministers have called for Labor\u2019s draft laws to be amended to limit service gaps and the federal minister\u2019s new, centralised powers.<\/p>\n \u201cDisability ministers remain committed to working constructively with the Commonwealth to strengthen this legislation and secure the long-term integrity, sustainability and participant focus of the NDIS.\u201d<\/p>\n Labor\u2019s proposed changes would remove 240,000 people from the NDIS from January 2028, according to departmental modelling, as the government seeks to curb growth in the $56 billion scheme and limit access to people with the most severe disabilities.<\/p>\n The government is hoping to secure the Coalition\u2019s support to pass the laws by the end of June, so it can deliver on its major budget savings measure.<\/p>\n The Senate inquiry, which kicked off on Monday, has already heard from distressed families worried their financial support will be axed under the proposed changes. Its findings are expected to be handed down next week.<\/p>\n Victoria\u2019s Minister for Disability Lizzie Blandthorn said the submission highlighted \u201cconcerns that the legislation potentially goes further than where our agreements have reached\u201d. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Health](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a685b9302fd6e04982d4ca2039710c521c68421f.jpeg\")
Health Minister Mark Butler.Alex Ellinghausen<\/p>\n![\"Health](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781166133_930_a685b9302fd6e04982d4ca2039710c521c68421f.jpeg\")
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\u201cThe Victorian government pays $3 billion a year to the NDIS, and the Victorian government and all states and territories should remain co-governors of the scheme, and we should maintain a role in rule-making, particularly as it relates to things like access and eligibility,\u201d she said on Thursday.<\/p>\n![\"Broede](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/d23e85866f7a4599c50cc215246692f5e44ec5e0.png\")
Broede Carmody<\/a> is a health reporter for The Age. Previously, he was a state political reporter for The Age and the national news blogger for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated June 11, 2026 \u2014 3:54pm,first published 12:29pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-729246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}