Health Minister Mark Butler used his press club address to announce the new Thriving Kids program. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Reactions to the Federal Government’s plans to move autistic kids away from the NDIS and into a new scheme have been quick and strong – and it’s not all favourable.
The Opposition is demanding more details, the Greens say the disabled community is being exploited, and most states claim they knew nothing about it before it was announced.
Federal Health Minister Mark flagged the new $2 billion Thriving Kids program to cater for children with autism and mild to moderate developmental delays during his press club address on Wednesday (20 August),.
Mr Butler said the National Disability Insurance Scheme was not designed to help these children.
The Thriving Kids program would serve them much better, he said, and was being designed in cooperation with the states and territories, who will together match the Commonwealth’s funding.
But Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said on Thursday that she knew nothing of the plan until she heard it in Mr Butler’s speech.
“Like many states and territories, we heard when the Minister made his address yesterday,” she said.
The WA Government says it wasn’t briefed either, even though, according to its Disability Services Minister, Hannah Beazley, it’s been “working very collaboratively with the federal government” on disability support issues for more than a year.
And while NSW Premier Chris Minns says he heard about the plan shortly before it was announced, he didn’t have much by way of details and won’t be committing any money until he knows more.
Mr Butler said the program would be rolled out from July next year and be fully operational within 12 months after, suggesting a timeline for diverting NDIS services away from families with autistic children and into the Thriving Kids scheme.
The Greens are outraged, saying the autistic community is being exploited for political purposes.
“Autistic Australians are being used as a political football, and that is simply unacceptable,” Greens disability spokesperson Jordon Steele-John said.
“Autism is lifelong. There is no growing out of it. The Minister’s suggestion otherwise denies reality and risks stripping people of the supports they need to thrive.
“Autistic Australians deserve support from our government. They do not deserve further stigmatisation and the rug to be pulled out from under them by a politician on the national stage because this government is trying to balance its bottom line.
“This announcement is discriminatory, and it will drive poorer outcomes and increase risks of harm … Politicians are making up definitions. Terms like ‘mild’ and ‘moderate’ autism have no clinical basis. They are political inventions, misleading the public and showing deep ignorance.
“This announcement was not co-designed, and there’s no lived experience at its heart. It’s political theatre at the expense of our community.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said while the Coalition was open to reforms to the NDIS, she was concerned about people getting left behind in the transition.
“There’s no certainty for those families. There’s no understanding of what it means for those young people who will no longer be covered,” Ms Ley said.
“So these kids had better not fall through the cracks, Prime Minister, because we will be watching very closely.”
Mr Butler has subsequently stated that no one will “fall through the cracks”.
Shadow health minister Anne Ruston also expressed the Coalition’s concerns, saying Mr Butler’s announcement had no detail and gave few assurances that no one would be left behind.
“I think the thing that concerns me most is the lack of detail and the impact that’s likely to have on many parents, many families,” she said.
“Yesterday provided, I think, many more questions than it probably did provide answers.
“I think the government really does need to come out very soon and perhaps explain a little bit more about what this actually means more generally.
“And that includes what it means to fund the foundational supports program going forward.”
Early childhood education and care think tank The Front Project, however, has welcomed the minister’s announcement.
Chief executive officer Caroline Croser-Barlow said the program would help ensure all children get the holistic care they need to thrive in a more accessible manner.
“For too long, children with development delay or mild autism have had to wait for diagnosis to access supports that are too often in clinical settings, and don’t build the capacity of adults who spend the most time with children – families, and educators” Dr Croser-Barlow said.
“Far too many families have had no choice but to turn to the NDIS as their only option for support, despite it never being designed for children with mild to moderate developmental delays and not providing the broad-based supports these children need.
“This investment through the Thriving Kids program represents a fundamental shift towards evidence-based, integrated early childhood development supports delivered where children already spend their time: in early learning centres, schools and community settings … We encourage all states and territories to collaborate with the Federal Government in designing a system that truly delivers on the promise of giving every Australian child the best possible start in life.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
