Media Release: The Facts are Clear - Labor Never Fully Funded the NDIS

Linda Burney’s claims today that Labor fully funded the NDIS would be laughable if they didn’t involve such a serious re-writing of history.  

“Labor established and fully funded the NDIS”

Linda Burney, 28 October 2018 

When Labor left office in 2013, they left behind a funding gap of more than $5 billion for the NDIS when it is fully rolled out from 2020-21, growing to almost $7 billion a year over the next decade.

In order to back up these claims of a fully funded NDIS, Labor cites a 2013-14 budget glossy.

That glossy spoke about what would have amounted to be an extra $2.4 billion in 2019-20 as “other long-term savings”. 

Journalist: “Mr Shorten, in Labor's 2013 budget papers, you describe some of the money going towards the NDIS as selected long-term savings. What are those savings?”

Shorten: “You have to refer to the budget papers. It was a 10-year plan.” (Source: Bill Shorten, Canberra Doorstop, 15 February 2017) 

These “other long-term savings” were never identified in any meaningful way by the Labor Party or by Treasury officials when quizzed in Senate Estimates. 

Australians with disability, their families and carers can be sure of one thing.  As the Prime Minister and Finance Minister have made clear, under our Liberal National Government the NDIS is fully funded - thanks to the strong economy and our careful management of the budget.