Do you share those concerns?

I do.

And that's the reason that I've put to the government the importance of two very specific carve-outs.

The first is that if you're a resident in supported independent living, your only mechanism of accessing or accessing the community, leaving home, is through social community participation.

So we want to ensure that we're not seeing arbitrary cuts in disability accommodation that might mean someone is unable, uh, to leave their home.

The second is employment, really importantly, that the whole idea of the NDIS was for those with a significant permanent disability who, with support, could be able to hold down a job.

We shouldn't be seeing a reduction in their ability to participate, uh, in a normal work life.

To families who are worried about all of this, watching it very closely, what's your message to them? Should they be anxious? Should they be confident that this will all be okay? What do you say?

What exactly is missing and how could that undermine these structural changes to the system?

Well, today I'll be outlining to the National Press Club a proposal to establish a National Disability System Inspector-General.

This is needed because NDIS participants face extraordinary challenge in navigating their way through the NDIS.

That's going to be compounded from October when state governments commence delivery of the Thriving Kids initiative.

Not-for-profit providers like Aruma are entering their sixth consecutive year of making losses because the NDIS price is set five percent below the standard expected by the safety regulator.

In the aged care system, there is an inspector general.

Their role is to recommend to government better coordination to address those systems failures.

What will the legislation unlock in the system if it gets through?

How do we get the learnings of those Royal Commissions more broadly understood? How do we get that director community, and do we need to be sourcing a different cohort of directors to make that happen?

Well, I think the most profound Royal Commission that we've had in recent years was the inquiry into sexual abuse of children within institution, institutional settings.

It's had a profound impact on the way in which we safeguard children and young peopleOf expecting voluntary organisations that did not have formalised or mature systems of governance.

And it's cascaded across all parts of the care economy.

Uh, not just because parts of the care economy are still not-for-profit, are volunteer-led in many cases, but it's illustrated what happens when you leave governance in abeyance for so long.

I think there's been a profound impact of the banking Royal Commission on the not-for-profit care economy as well, that directors that live in the worlds of finance, that live in the worlds of markets, are seeing that even those institutions with extraordinary or seemingly really well-established systems of both governance and accountability within them, were left wanting because of the decision or the lack of activity of directors.

And to hear within the boardrooms in which I work those references, it indicates that the Royal Commissions have had a positive impact.

And, and you need to have the right people, right? And I'm thinking as our society in terms of providing great care across all of those care sectors, we've got s- a lot of organizations requiring directors, requiring executives.Have we got the cohort of people that can actually take those roles on? Um, i- is, is, is that gonna drive change in the marketplace?

Now, you've given an example of a person you know with Down syndrome, so just explain that.

I'm going to give an illustration of two people that I know really well, one person I've known my entire life.

Both of them have Down syndrome, both roughly the same age.

One person's functional capacity is significantly impaired.

This person lives in 24-hour accommodation.

They're now experiencing deteriorating health.

There is no doubt that in the future the NDIS will be there for this person.

Well, Martin, what would be your message for people currently on the NDIS who are really worried right now that they will not meet this new criteria, but they really do rely heavily on the assistance that they've been provided?

How do you feel about the government's plan to overhaul the NDIS?

Well, I think what, uh, Mark Butler has committed to today is taking the NDIS back to its original intention.

If we remember, for those of us who were around at that point, what was the NDIS setting out to do? It was for those that have significant permanent disability.

And we estimated fifteen years ago that there were about four hundred, four hundred and fifty thousand Australians that would need probably around-the-clock, really high-intensity support.

It was never intended to be for those in the community with disability that was mild to moderate.

So Dave, you probably are aware there's about three, three and a half million Australians with different forms of disability.

The NDIS was proposed for those that had the most significant of disabilities, and Mark Butler today is resetting, but he's not just resetting and forgetting.

Well, I mean, it sounds like you are very supportive of what the government has announced, but there will be other people listening who are going, "Look, a hundred and sixty thousand people being kicked off in a few years sounds extreme." Like, a lot of people would be very concerned hearing those numbers, those dollar savings as well.