澳大利亚人权委员会对政府国家残障保险制度（NDIS）改革方案提出严重警告，指出该改革存在"倒退性"人权风险[1]。委员会表示，约24万人可能在五年内被移除出该制度，而替代性支持措施尚未妥善就位[1]。澳大利亚人权委员会主任罗斯玛丽·凯斯指出，尽管各方都承认该制度需要改革以解决欺诈和市场失灵问题，但"政府正在驳回真正的关切，即其提议的改革将严重削弱该制度为澳大利亚数十万残障人士带来的改变生活的影响"[1]。
尽管人权委员会发出警告，劳工党主导的独立调查委员会仍建议这些改革方案获得通过[1]。政府计划通过相关改革在十年内节省1500亿澳元[1]。根据卫生部长马克·巴特勒的改革计划，从2028年起，人们将需要证明自身伤残属于永久性才能获得资格[1]。目前，政府仅宣布了针对8岁及以下儿童的"繁荣儿童"（Thriving Kids）计划作为替代支持，该计划将从今年10月开始推出[1]。
Australia's human rights committee, led by the Labor party, has raised significant concerns about the government's proposed overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), cautioning that approximately 240,000 people could be removed from the program within five years without adequate alternative support in place.[1] The committee warned that the reforms pose "retrogressive" risks, noting that the proportionality of the restrictive measures has not been demonstrated.[1]
Despite these warnings, a separate Labor-led independent review committee has recommended that the reform proposal proceed, with the government aiming to achieve savings of A$150 billion over a decade through the changes.[1] Currently, only the Thriving Kids program has been announced as an alternative support option for children aged eight and under, with rollout scheduled to begin in October of this year.[1] Health Minister Mark Butler's reforms will require people to demonstrate permanent disability to qualify for assistance beginning in 2028.[1]
Rosemary Kayess, director of the Australian Human Rights Commission, stated: "Everyone acknowledges the scheme needs reform to address fraud and market failure. But the government is dismissing genuine concerns that its proposed reforms will seriously undermine the life-changing impact the scheme has had for hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability."[1]