The Morrison Government’s compulsory independent assessments have been shelved after months of opposition from experts, people with disabilities and Labor.

NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds must now tear up the contracts awarded to deliver the assessments.

State and Territory disability ministers today met with Minister Reynolds and told her they would not support the plan to introduce the Government’s independent assessments.

Independent assessments have now been rejected by experts, the Government’s own advisory council, Labor,the states and territories, the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, support workers, and, most importantly,NDIS participants and their families.

This has been a botched plan from the get-go.

Independent assessments would have forced 500,000 permanently and significantly disabled Australians to go through an assessment with a stranger so the Government could cut their supports or remove them from the NDIS.

After 8 years in charge of the NDIS and 7 different ministers, the Morrison Government tried to use 7different sets of numbers to justify the introduction of independent assessment to cut costs, all while spending millions on expensive consultants, lawyers, razor gangsand marketing schemes. 

Any changes need to be co-designed and be evidenced based.

Australians overwhelmingly support the NDIS and the choice and control it gives to people living with disabilities. 

The Government has failed to prosecute its case and must now go back to the drawing board and work with the state and territories, and listen to the experts and NDIS participants in good faith.

This is a huge win for the opponents of the NDIS cuts,but more work needs to be done to protect the NDIS from the Morrison Government’s attacks.