Canberra disability advocates and NDIS participants have expressed concern about the planned closure of Carers ACT’s Hub Disability Day Program and NDIS support coordination services in early October. Carers ACT said rising operating costs, financial pressures and changes to funding arrangements meant it could no longer afford to subsidise the services.
The hub provided support with independent living skills and daily activities, including household chores, music and social outings. Benjamin Zarew, a disability advocate and NDIS participant, said he attended the program to support his mental wellbeing and spend time outside his home.
Zarew said he was disappointed by the passage of the federal government’s NDIS legislation and was worried about the effect of changes on people who depended on stable routines. He said his own plan was expected to be reduced and that the changes would limit what he could do.
The source reports that the NDIS overhaul is expected to remove some people from the scheme or prevent others from accessing it, with state- and territory-run supports yet to be established. It says the changes are expected to save $37.8 billion over four years. The legislation also allows the NDIS minister of the day to reduce social and community participation budgets by up to 50 per cent, affecting supports such as travel to medical appointments or supermarkets.
ACT Greens MLA Laura Nuttall said people were contacting her office because they were fearful and uncertain about what the changes would mean. She questioned whether the ACT government had a sufficient safety net for disability programs affected by the reforms.
Shannon Kolack, chief executive of Act Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability, described the Carers ACT closure as devastating, saying some participants had attended the hub five days a week for years. She also warned that support coordination services could be difficult to replace and that programs relying on social and community participation funding might no longer be able to operate.