Tough love for the NDIS under Butler's new rules
'A period, as all parents know, that involves the maturing of our beautiful children. But a period which is also full of risks that things will run off the rails without a judicious dose of supervision and management.'
As the scheme's new guardian, Butler used his first national address to set some ground rules for its next phase of development.
First, a new growth target: the scheme's financial trajectory will be brought down to between 5 and 6 per cent a year, on par with its portfolio siblings, health and aged care. The government is still aiming for 8 per cent next year, as national cabinet agreed, but wants it to slow further after that.
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Second, eligibility requirements: these will be tightened from July 2027, specifically for children with mild or moderate developmental delays and autism. Those children, who have come to make up the majority of new NDIS participants, will be diverted onto a scheme called 'Thriving Kids'.
There was an air of tough love about Butler's speech on Wednesday. 'They are precious. We all love them. They're our future,' he said of Australia's children.
'I know this will be hard for some parents to hear, and I don't say it lightly. But we do need, as a matter of urgency, to create a better system that will enable our children to thrive.
'Diverting this group of kids over time from the NDIS is an important element of making the scheme sustainable and returning it to its original intent.'
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