What you need to know

• The 2024-25 Western Australian budget focuses on cost-of-living relief and developing the groundwork for the state’s further growth.
• It includes creating skills and jobs for the future, boosting the supply of housing, and investment in health, education and infrastructure.
• $39 million for Child Development Services will provide an increase in assessment and intervention services.
• The State acknowledges its increased role of overarching stewardship, coordination and design role during the period of NDIS reform.

Within an environment of strong economic health and very low unemployment rates, the Western Australian Government has delivered a budget that both delivers immediate cost of living support and prepares the state for significant population growth, anticipated to reach 3 million by end 2025.

NDIS Reform and Disability Services

The government is addressing the growing demand for Child Development Services by investing $39 million over two years, facilitating an additional 114 FTE of health and allied health professionals in both the metropolitan and regional areas.

This initiative recognises the need for an integrated approach in the changing policy and funding landscape for early childhood intervention under the NDIS and mainstream foundational supports.

The budget affirms continued investment of $22 million in the Hospital to Home Transitional Care Pilot, supporting a continued focus on improving the health and wellbeing of people with a disability while the longer-term reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme are determined.

An increased investment in the existing Early Years Partnership of $7.3 million in the 2024-25 budget. This 10-year partnership, which aims to improve the development, health and learning of children aged 0-4 years across its partner communities, is likely to reach young children with development disability in these areas.

New mental health initiatives for prevention and support, including increased funding to NGOs and State services, are welcomed.

NDS welcomes these initiatives and the State’s commentary that further budgetary commitment will evolve as further changes to government responsibilities and service delivery systems develop from the Royal Commission and NDIS Review recommendations. NDS appreciates the State's commitment to an expanded overarching stewardship, coordination and design role during this period of reform. NDS will continue to advocate that the State, in its stewardship role, supports the sector re-engineering and transformation expected to result from the reforms.

Cost of living relief

West Australians accessing the Disability Support Pension are amongst the cohort who will benefit from the additional Energy Assistance Payments, and increased value in Regional Travel Cards and airfare zone caps.

Housing

The budget includes new investment in social housing and maintenance investment for existing housing stock- however is silent on housing for people with disability who are not within the 6 per cent of NDIS participants eligible for Specialist Disability Accommodation funding.

Workforce

Generous 2024-25 commitments towards building workforce capacity through training, apprenticeship and skilled migration initiatives generally exclude the Care Workforce, focusing on jobs related to infrastructural development. Given the continued evidence of shortages within the care workforce, this is disappointing.