Mark Butler, Australia’s Health and Disability Minister, dropped a huge nugget of newsworthy goodness yesterday. He championed a major overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to better accommodate kids suffering from developmental delays. Education Secretary’s announcement that those plans were put on hold caught parents by surprise. They were very concerned with how these reforms were working for their children with mild/moderate DD.
Butler’s reform agenda can claim one big win with the establishment of a new program called “Thriving Kids.” He wants this program to better address the needs of the children in this demographic. He shared his ambitious vision to launch the program by July 1 of this year. He cautioned that full rollout might take up to two years. His comments come on top of the NDIS review commissioned by the government back in 2022. That parliamentary review reinforced the case for urgent structural changes to be made within the scheme.
Concerns from Parents
Following Butler’s announcement, parents of children with developmental delays expressed apprehension about their children’s future under the proposed changes. Many parents feel uncertain about whether their children will continue to receive the necessary support they currently access through the NDIS.
In response to parents’ concerns, Butler later assured Australians that nobody would be “kicked off” the NDIS as a consequence of his announcement. He pointed out that children would be going through ongoing reassessment practice. They will be supported through the transition until the new grant program is up and running.
“I want to reassure them that we’re not going to leave them high and dry. We’re going to make sure that there is a well-designed scheme that gives them confidence that we’re going to do everything we can to support their kids to thrive.” – Mark Butler
Even with these assurances, parents are still understandably nervous about implementation and how the transition will happen. Butler’s announcement lacked specific details, prompting many to seek clarity on what changes might mean for their children’s care.
The Vision for “Thriving Kids”
Butler’s welcome proposal for “Thriving Kids” acknowledges a huge mistake in NDIS coverage. It has since bloated beyond all recognition, stretching into areas outside its original scope. With this initiative, he aims to provide a more tailored approach to supporting children with mild to moderate developmental delays and autism.
He explained that in the past, when children began to miss developmental milestones, support was grounded in evidence-based practices and in established networks of support. He says the quality of these resources has drastically decreased since the implementation of the NDIS.
“Traditionally, what we’ve done for parents whose kids are missing developmental milestones is to guide them, provide them with an evidence-based, well-curated system of supports. But that was broken down after the establishment of the NDIS.” – Mark Butler
Butler recognised that things need to change, stating that foundational supports were in place before the NDIS arrived. He noted that without meaningful reforms, the community support for keeping the NDIS could fade away in the future.
Budget Sustainability and Future Directions
Besides reforms specifically affecting children’s services, Butler addressed overall budget sustainability and the need for tax reform in his announcement. He specifically called attention to the government’s commitment to bring down the growth of NDIS spending to 8 percent by July 26 next year. This goal dovetails with the work already happening to make sure our resources are targeted to go farther without cutting services for people who rely on them.
“We don’t underestimate the massive task before us. But in doing any of these reforms, first and foremost, you need to consider the people that are being impacted by these changes.” – Mark Butler
Butler’s comments show a willingness to effect the right course of action from criticism from the community. He acknowledged that while many see the NDIS as transformative for individuals with disabilities, there are significant concerns regarding costs, inefficiencies, and questionable providers.
“But they’re concerned it’s costing too much and has too many inefficiencies and too many dodgy providers.” – Mark Butler
As Butler gets ready for more media appearances today, he hopes to keep the focus on parent and stakeholder trust-building efforts. His focus on a collaborative approach serves as an important reminder of the importance of these attributes: communication and consultation, as reforms advance.
