In sweeping reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) announced today, the government will cut 160,000 participants from the scheme over the next four years is that right? Or is it by the end of the decade? and reduce funding for the average plan by A$5,000 in the next two years.

Speaking at the National Press Club today, NDIS Minister Mark Butler argued the scheme “costs too much and is growing too fast”. He claimed the NDIS was losing its social licence, with six in ten Australians believing the scheme was “broken”.

Without significant changes, he argued, the NDIS “will not be able to deliver what Australians with disability deserve”. Instead, he wants to return the NDIS to its original intent and improve the scheme’s financial sustainability.

So what are these changes? And what might they mean for NDIS participants and their families?

Read more: NDIS slashed and higher health insurance subsidy for over 65s scrapped, in Health Minister Butler’s package

What changes will be made?

The government’s plan to secure the NDIS will have four pillars:

fighting fraud and stopping rorts

slowing rapid cost increases

clearer eligibility requirements

delivering quality services and support to participants.

To achieve these pillars, Butler set out several changes, including:

introducing a digital payment system so there is better visibility over claims made to the NDIS and to ensure these are genuine

introducing a digital payment system so there is better visibility over claims made to the NDIS and to ensure these are genuine

reducing the number of organisations able to operate as plan managers

reducing the number of organisations able to operate as plan managers

reducing the number of unscheduled plan reassessments, where people spend their budgets before their plans end

reducing........

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