There has been much discussion and debate around the NDIS Amendment Bill. When the Bill was first tabled in Parliament in March, Minister Bill Shorten said the government had taken the legislative approach to establish “an enabling architecture for rules and future reforms”.
Reforms to the NDIS are urgently needed, and so much rests on the Bill and the foundations it will lay for NDIS rules and legislative instruments still to come.
The Bill was tabled for debate in the Senate on 24 June. Senators from the Liberals and the Greens expressed concern about the consultation process, and criticised the lack of transparency and rushed process to bring the Bill to Parliament.
A series of proposed amendments to the Bill have already been put forward by the government, Opposition and Independents. These are yet to be considered and agreed to by the Senate but it is likely that further changes to the Bill will be made.
The Bill was referred back to the Community Affairs Committee for further inquiry and report by 5 August. This means the Bill cannot be passed before this date.
The Senate will next come together on 12 August. While we don’t know exactly when the Bill will progress through the Senate, we will use this time to analyse the amendments and what they could mean for people with disability and the community.