Carers to deliver NDIS participants to federal MP offices as national six-hour strike begins Thursday

On Thursday, 1 October, carers in every state and territory will withdraw their unpaid labour for up to six hours, from 9:00am to 3:00pm local time, and accompany their loved ones to their local federal Member of Parliament's electorate office, where care will continue on an informal, unpaid basis — provided by electorate office staff.

The action responds to Australian Government changes that take effect on Thursday, cutting funding for social and community participation supports by up to half. Carers say the cuts leave no room to safely staff the community access, transport and support ratios participants rely on, and expect carers to absorb the shortfall at no cost.

"If the funding for social and community and safe staffing ratios has been cut, then for one day, government offices can experience what stripped-back support actually looks like," said a spokesperson for The National Carer Strike Committee. "We've been asked to do more with less for years. On Thursday, we're asking the government to try it."

For years, when government funding has fallen short, carers have quietly made up the difference, unpaid and unrecognised. On Thursday, that free labour stops too. Every NDIS participant taking part will be delivered to their local MP's office and left in the care of electorate staff for the duration of the strike. The National Carer Strike Committee says duty of care for NDIS participants was never carers' responsibility alone — it sits, ultimately, with the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Australian Government. What remains of participants' paid support funding is committed to essential support at home and will not be redirected to help government manage the strike more easily. For those six hours, organisers are handing that responsibility back to where it belongs.

The strike will run for up to six hours, from 9:00am to 3:00pm local time on Thursday, 1 October, at federal electorate offices nationwide. The National Carer Strike Committee is calling on the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Australian Government to:

1. Take direct responsibility, fully funded and staffed by government, for participants’ safety and support needs for the duration of the strike; and
2. Reverse the cuts to social and community participation funding before further plans are affected.

Carers, participants and family members wanting to join or support a local action can register at https://ndiscarerstrike.com/#register.

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