What’s happening?
Redlands families are feeling the sting of sudden cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which took effect last month.
The Albanese Government’s latest cost-containment measures have slashed travel funding, reduced therapy rates, and frozen others with minimal notice. These changes are forcing therapists out of the region, especially from geographically isolated communities like the Bay Islands.
Why it matters?
The NDIS was designed to empower people with disability through support and choice. But the latest changes, according to Federal Member for Bowman Henry Pike MP, are having the opposite effect, undermining care access and exhausting frontline providers. “These cuts are gutting the very support networks that families depend on,” Mr Pike said.
By the numbers:
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Travel funding for NDIS providers has been halved overnight.
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Physiotherapy rates have dropped by over $10 per hour.
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Occupational therapy rates have remained frozen for more than seven years, despite rising operational costs.
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NDIS spending is projected to exceed $58 billion by 2028, more than Medicare or Defence.
Zoom In
The cuts are already hitting the Bay Islands hard. Due to slashed travel subsidies, many therapists can no longer afford to visit families in these areas. Mr Pike warned that “cutting travel subsidies only compounds the isolation and hardship for families who are already doing it tough.” Therapists are walking away from the system, some now earning more as support workers.
A particularly devastating example came when a local family was denied a double palliative care bed for their terminally ill daughter. Although it was offered at the same cost as a single, bureaucratic delays meant the girl passed away before the issue was resolved. “That’s what happens when bureaucracy trumps basic compassion and common sense,” Mr Pike said.
Zoom Out
Nationwide, the Albanese Government is facing pressure to reduce NDIS costs, but critics argue that the focus should be on eliminating fraud, duplication, and red tape, not frontline services. Mr Pike is calling the reforms a “lazy way out,” warning they are placing undue burden on the people the scheme was meant to support.
Local Impact
Redlands’ Bay Islands are uniquely affected due to their remoteness. The withdrawal of therapists due to slashed travel reimbursements leaves families without vital care. Providers are voicing concerns at forums like the upcoming Redlands Chamber of Commerce NDIS event, which Mr Pike will attend to hear from impacted residents directly.
What to look for next?
Mr Pike has taken the matter to Federal Parliament, urging smarter reforms that don’t sacrifice care quality. He vows to continue advocating for Redlands families and says real solutions require “leadership, not lazy policy.”
