Australia's new minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme will soon meet with the sector as the campaign against planned changes ramps up.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Linda Reynolds returned to work on Tuesday after extended medical leave following her handling of a former staffer's alleged rape at Parliament House in 2019.
Senator Reynolds was shifted from the Defence portfolio to the NDIS in the process.
She has already been met with a campaign from an alliance of disability groups who want her to stop the introduction of independent assessments.
A spokesman for the minister said she would have comprehensive briefings with her state and territory counterparts, the disability sector and NDIS participants.
"The minister will then address these issues publicly once this consultation has occurred," he said.
The spokesman also defended the independence of a review into the scheme, conducted by David Tune.
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws show the government inserted an entire chapter on introducing independent assessments and made substantial changes to the rest of the review.
The spokesman said the federal government respected Mr Tune's independence at all stages.
"Mr Tune was provided with a small secretariat team to assist him in compiling his report, as is often the case with independent reviews of this complexity, but this in no way undermines his independence."
But Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten slammed the review as a sham, saying it was designed to introduce cuts to the NDIS.
"Labor wants the new Minister for the NDIS and Government Services Linda Reynolds to stop the compulsory assessments and make the NDIS work for people living with a disability," he said.
"This is her first test and one the entire disability sector want her to pass."
More than 20 organisations have jointly called on the new minister to abandon "controversial and widely rejected" changes to independent assessments.
The groups fear the changes will erode the integrity of the NDIS and undermine the ability for participants to exercise choice and control of their lives.
They will result in both new and existing NDIS participants having their level of necessary support determined by a professional who is not their regular doctor.
Eight companies have been chosen to undertake the independent assessments, which will be used to determine the level of support participants need.
Ross Joyce from the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations made a direct plea to Senator Reynolds, who was sworn into the portfolio following a cabinet reshuffle last week.
"As the new NDIS Minister, Senator Reynolds has a golden opportunity to reset relations with people with disability and rebuild their trust," he said.
Advocates have described the proposal as the single biggest change to the NDIS since the scheme began.
They say consultations were rushed and failed to address concerns raised by people with disability, their families and the organisations that support them.
Australian Associated Press
