2SM with Tim Webster - 9 April 2026

Melissa McIntosh MP

Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services
Shadow Minister for NDIS
Shadow Minister for Women
Federal Member for Lindsay

 9 April 2026

Transcript

2SM with Tim Webster

Topics: NDIS

E&EO …

Tim Webster:

Yeah, Shadow Minister for the NDIS is Melissa McIntosh. Now the NDIS is barrelling out of control, no doubt about it, and it's very difficult to talk about because you're talking about people with a disability, but the core issue now is it's just completely out of control. And Melissa chats to Smithy quite often, but we chat to Melissa too and she's on the line now. G'day.

Melissa McIntosh:

Good morning.

Tim Webster:

Melissa, it's a mess.

Melissa McIntosh:

I think that's an understatement Tim. It is a big mess and as you said it's vulnerable people at the heart of this and the NDIS was set up to look after them, and $50 billion a year later is full of rorts, bad actors that are doing the wrong thing and it's costing a lot of money. So on the one hand, we do need to look after these people and I'm hearing terrible, terrible stories from a woman, Rachel, who's waiting for, she has prosthetics, she had meningitis when she was younger, her prosthetics are currently sticky taped together with gaffa tape and she can't get an answer from the NDIS - really extreme cases on one hand but then you've got rorting and people basically living their life on the other hand, so something does need to change as a matter of urgency.

Tim Webster:

Yeah and look taking money away from people is always going to be problematic and the government saying that they'll deal with it be part of the budget, but you know I'm reading a story this morning I'm sure you know about this unregistered providers on the NDIS, and all they need is an ABN and they can actually write you a handwritten invoice for $70 bucks an hour. I mean, this sort of thing, as soon as people see a pot of government money, Melissa, they'll jump into it with both feet.

Melissa McIntosh:

That's right. I'm concerned that the government's using its failure to control the budget and it's directing its focus onto the NDIS, but some of the real issues that need to be targeted around these 94% of providers, as you said, not needing anything to look after people in need. You don't even have a minimum standard of care, there's no safeguards. You can just go and decide one day that you're going to be a provider, and I want to acknowledge that there are good people out there that do a good job…..

Tim Webster:
Absolutely, oh yeah

Melissa McIntosh:
But a lot of bad as well, so registering - I was shocked coming into this portfolio a few weeks ago now, to learn that even the accommodation providers didn't need to be registered. These are people who are living in accommodation and they’re looking after people so that needs to be fixed up.

Tim Webster:

I know it's just It's just completely and totally out of control. And you know, two things. The taxpayers can't afford it. It's as simple as that, and I think the government at least knows that. But how did we let it get to the stage where literally almost anybody can say, I'm a provider and you know, escort someone to the football, take them to a concert. And as you just mentioned, you've got people who've got a serious disability problem who are still trying to get the money.

Melissa McIntosh:

Yeah, that's right and that's just one case. I've got hundreds of cases now pouring into my office. A blind man, Craig, he had brain cancer, he can't see and he can't even get a handrail for him to go up and down his steps. This is why the NDIS was set up. And I think first and foremost, the registration needs to be looked at. The scheme management, what's going on within the plans themselves and the people that might be targeting vulnerable people and charging them a lot of money to manage their plans. That's something else that we should be looking at. Also the government's paying something like $60 million dollars a year with court cases that are going through the Administrative Review Tribunal and losing 75 per cent of the cases. So, they're taking people and questioning their rights to have their needs or their plans, but 75% and they're losing the case - that's a lot of money to be wasting every single year on lawyers.

Tim Webster:

Well it is, and you know it's difficult as we said at the beginning to discuss this because there's people who have a disability, and a lot of them have bona fide reasons for applying and getting some funding through the NDIS, but when you've got people who really have serious issues missing out or being refused and you've got people taking people to rock concerts and outings and that's part of the system - I mean it's completely out of whack and out of control. I mean, your gig is a tough gig if you get into government, but reining this thing in and allowing it to make sense for the rest of us who are paying for it?

Melissa McIntosh:

That's right, and I think there's been a change of sentiment in the Australian public, having compassion for people who need it, but being fed up that the taxpayer's money is going to, as you said, people that are using and manipulating and rorting the system. You see this huge story today about the growth in employment and what's sort of holding unemployment numbers low, is people working in the care economy like the NDIS. So that's not right. This is an explosion in the numbers of 300,000 more people working in this industry and then they're going unchecked and that's the problem. Fix this up first. Don't use the budget though to sort out you know cutting the NDIS to sort out your budget woes. But we do need to, and the Coalition is very willing to work with the government to fix this up because as we go to the heart of it there are very, very vulnerable Australians.

Tim Webster:

On behalf of all of us. I mean, things like, I mean, isn't it possible to train more, get more nurses who can visit people at home, you know get referrals, that sort of thing, to be more cost effective? I mean, there's any number of things we could probably talk about it forever, couldn't we?

Melissa McIntosh:

We could talk about it forever but even having that minimum standard. They don't even have to have a Working With Vulnerable People check. You go into a child care centre, you have to have checks and balances. None of that is happening. So yes, lift the standard, improve the people that are working in the system and cut the rorting - that's at least a good start, and I think Australians want to see that.

Tim Webster:

Yeah, good on you.