The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established to uphold the dignity, autonomy, and human rights of people with disabilities. Yet beneath its promise, three forces threaten its survival: underestimation, underfunding, and undermining.

When first introduced, the NDIS was projected to cost $13 billion annually. Recent figures show costs have soared to over $22 billion—and they’re still rising. But what these figures don’t capture is the growing need, the rising cost of living, and the decades of systemic neglect that the NDIS was designed to address.

Instead of strengthening the scheme, government leaks reveal internal discussions about drastic cost-cutting measures. These go well beyond the already controversial and harmful Independent Assessments. What’s being explored now would gut support systems and devastate lives.

These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. These are lives.

One woman per week is killed by domestic violence in Australia. If her family was receiving NDIS-funded supports, they soon may not.
Many children are estranged from a parent due to disability or complex needs. If an NDIS support was helping restore those relationships, it may soon be gone.
85% of autistic children who became homicide victims were killed by their own families, often due to carer burnout. If a funded support worker was visiting that family, they soon may not be.
The price of these cuts will be paid in trauma, isolation, and preventable deaths.

But there is hope. Thanks to the pressure from this community and others, this issue made national headlines. Our campaign was featured on A Current Affair, highlighting the real human toll these funding decisions have on families across Australia.

▶️ Watch the story here:
NDIS funding cuts send Aussie families to the brink – A Current Affair

This is what public pressure can do. But we’re not done.

We now call on the Australian Government and the House of Representatives to:

1. Cease all discussions aimed at reducing NDIS funding
2. Reverse any cost-cutting actions already implemented
3. Simplify and streamline the NDIS appeal and tribunal process
4. Increase national disability literacy to ensure all Australians understand disability rights, needs, and systems
5. Lower rates of homicide, injury, and suicide among disabled Australians to parity with the general population
6. Reduce abuse and neglect of disabled children by increasing external supports within the home
7. Prevent carer burnout through more community-based and flexible support options

The NDIS must remain a human rights-based system, not an economic inconvenience. It was never meant to be profitable—it was meant to be just.

And justice must never be the first casualty of budget repair.