In Tuesday’s Federal Budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced that the government will set aside $424 million for Australians with a disability. However, many advocates have raised concerns – that not only is this not enough funding, but that the key issues facing people with disabilities have been ignored.
A statement endorsed by 11 organisations including the Australian Autism Alliance (AAA), First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN) and Children and Young People with Disabilities Australia has criticised the budget for reinforcing the perceived invisibility of people with disabilities.
“Disability support services are not optional – they are essential for daily life,” read the statement in part.
It added: “In key budget cost-of-living measures, people living with disability are absent. In Australia’s housing strategy, there is no mention of accessibility,”
“People with disability are missing in this budget. Just 18 months after Australia’s ‘landmark’ 4-year $600 million Disability Royal Commission, it is like it never happened.”
Spokesperson with the Antipoverty Centre, and Disability Support Pension recipient, Kristin O’Connell commented on the the $150 yearly energy bill relief. O’Connell believed the impact would be minimal given rising energy costs.
“This is an irresponsible budget that once again has betrayed millions of welfare recipients and left us in deep poverty,” O’Connell told SBS. “For many of us, life is harder now than it was three years ago, and this budget does nothing to change that.”
$364.5 million has been set aside for Foundational Supports to fund services for those no longer eligible for the NDIS.
People with Disabilities Australia criticised the level of support, arguing it lacks commitments to disability reform, investment and national consistency.
“People with disability deserve the security of a long-term, legislated commitment from federal and state and territory governments to a Foundational Supports framework because the NDIS cannot be the only lifeboat in the ocean” said PWDA Board Director Steph Travers in an official statement.
“Yes, there’s funding under the NDIS and Foundational supports, but we’re missing from areas where the Disability Royal Commission identified change is most needed”.
“In general, we’re feeling invisible in the mainstream budget. Yes, there’s funding under the NDIS and Foundational supports but we’re missing from areas where the Disability Royal Commission identified change is most needed,” he added later in the statement.
This comes as the latest data shows the Scheme is tracking at approximately $700 million lower than forecast this financial year, and people with disabilities are feeling excluded from budget and policy reforms. In 2022, an estimated 5.5 million Australians (21.4%) had a disability.nd 7.9% of all Australians had a profound or severe disability.
Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) has reiterated the exclusion of people with disabilities from the core areas of social and economic policy.
“We are disappointed that women with disabilities are largely not visible in this budget” and that the budget misses the mark on addressing the causes of inequality”, said WWDA on its website.
According to the Department of Social Services, during the 2024-25 year, at least 90 per cent of people with a profound or severe disability of working age are supported by the Disability Support Pension.
According to a media release in February 2025 by Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amanda Rishworth, more must be done to recruit people into the growing disability sector.
“We must be attracting and retaining people with the right skills, providing training pathways and growing the workforce delivering high quality supports to those who need it,” said Rishworth.
With an election campaign looming, the opposition has tried to get ahead of the government’s claims that a Coalition government will mean further cuts to the NDIS.
“The Coalition is focused on ensuring the NDIS remains fit for purpose and sustainable for future generations to come,” Opposition NDIS spokesperson Michael Sukkar said.
In February, Shadow Assistant Minister for the NDIS Hollie Hughes criticised the government for “punishing” people with disabilities.
“In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, we know more and more people who have a disability sit at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum are being punished”.
“This government can’t tell us what a foundational support is,” she said, adding, “Where are these families going to go to get support?”
Disability advocacy group Advocacy for Inclusion (AFI) published a statement after the budget saying not enough was being done to support people with disabilities.
“While people with disability will benefit from measures in the budget, including relief for people with health costs or experiencing homelessness, … We would have liked to see the Australian government stepping up more on disability health, housing, inclusive education and employment,” AFI Head of Policy Craig Wallace said in the statement.
Top photo source: AAP Images
