ABC Canberra Drive with Georgia Stynes - 16 June 2026

Melissa McIntosh MP
Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services
Shadow Minister for the NDIS
Shadow Minister for Women
Federal Member for Lindsay

16 June 2026

Transcript

ABC Canberra Drive with Georgia Stynes

Topics: NDIS inquiry

E&EO

Georgia Stynes 

Joining us is Melissa McIntosh, she's the Coalition spokesperson for the NDIS, also the Liberal Member for Lindsay, and our guest. Good afternoon.

Melissa McIntosh 

Good afternoon.

Georgia Stynes 

We'll get to the passing of the Bill in just a moment, but what's your take on the delay to the report being released?

Melissa McIntosh 

I'm really concerned on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of NDIS participants, because every day delayed is another day of anxiety. This is a group of people who were not consulted on these changes. No one is saying to me, and I'm getting thousands of emails and phone calls to my office as the shadow. No one is saying that the NDIS budget shouldn't be cut back because it is out of control, but it becomes clearer and clearer, and this is what was apparent during the inquiry, and I fought really hard for this inquiry, is that the very people who this scheme was meant to protect are feeling like they're in the firing line, and right now, if you're going to get pushed off the NDIS, and it was revealed in Senate estimates that hundreds of thousands of people will be, there's nothing to catch you on the other side. So the Government is ramming this legislation through. They've had an inquiry because it's been forced upon them, yet they're delaying, which is questionable, the report, the tabling of the report, but we know that they want to pass this legislation within the next couple of weeks. There's big question marks around what on earth is going on here.

Georgia Stynes 

When you say there's nothing on the other side, are you talking about the foundational supports that the states are meant to step in with?

Melissa McIntosh 

Anything. So the initial cohort of people that would be off the NDIS are these, being called low-level autism, but they don't make up the full numbers, so they're in the, you know, potentially we could reach a hundred-odd thousand, but now we're talking at about three-hundred-and-something thousand people. So, what's the next cohort of people with disabilities that will be coming off the NDIS? The states are saying 'we just don't have anything in place for these people. You didn't consult with us, Government.' So, when the states are saying the Government, and these are majority Labor states, has not consulted, that is a big concern. I think alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear right now. I'm all for reducing expenditure, big government expenditure, but not when the price is people's lives. And that's what's really concerned me over these last few days, is there's been multiple people appearing for this hearing, saying we are concerned that people will die. We have a moral obligation to ensure people do not die.

Georgia Stynes 

So, what are you asking for? Do you want this, the Bill in its current form, to be pulled?

Melissa McIntosh 

I would like the Government to continue working with the Coalition, perhaps on some amendments. We need to go through this. We haven't even seen every submission to the inquiry be posted on the public website, over 4000 people made submissions, and only a few hundred of these are up, so there's still a long way to go. So I've said that I'd be very happy for the inquiry to go longer, slow this down. The Government trying to make savings in a budget which they've already apparently spent all their savings, is not a good enough reason to rush this legislation through. Get it right, because there's people on the other side of this, and that's what's really concerned concerning me. Protecting your citizens should be your number one priority.

Georgia Stynes 

So, you're not saying you won't support it, but you're saying there needs to be certain amendments.

Melissa McIntosh 

I think we need to look at some of the detail a bit more carefully, like around the community aspects, the social aspects, because people have clearly said this isn't about going out and having a good time and going to the beach and going off to Bali, all those stories that you hear. Sometimes, this is about somebody who works on the NDIS, checking in on someone that has a disability, taking them to the doctor, and this has also all been caught up in the personal care aspects of this, where somebody may need somebody to come in and help them on a personal care perspective. So, it is not clear - there's just not enough detail in the legislation for us to decipher what part of it's community, what part of it's personal care, and which part of it's going to be cut from people, and that's where the big concern is.

Georgia Stynes 

Thank you so much for your time, I appreciate it.

Melissa McIntosh 

Thank you.