Prime Minister Scott Morrison.Credit:Joe Armao
He said the average payment to the scheme’s 430,000 participants had increased by almost 48 per cent over the past three years and the average plan budget had increased by 22 per cent over the same time.
Mr Morrison said the scheme,which was established by the Gillard government in 2012,was forecast to reach 530,000 participants in the coming years and combined with higher costs per participant the costs were likely to hit $26 billion - exceeding the $22 billion estimated at full scheme by the Productivity Commission in its 2017 review.
He said a 12.5 per cent growth in payment per participant each year since 2017 was in part the result of planners not having access to consistent,quality information when making their funding decisions,as well as a lack of clarity on what was and wasn’t paid for by the NDIS.
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He said proposed reforms throughindependent assessments and personalised budgets were designed to make the NDIS “fairer and more sustainable” into the future and the government was committed to funding it as a demand-driven scheme.
“Reasonable and necessary supports come with some boundaries. Boundaries to ensure the scheme is affordable,but more importantly so it is fair for all participants,” Mr Morrison told the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce.
“Boundaries which protect the rights of individuals and boundaries which allow flexibility and provide choice and control.”