Queensland's disability minister has blasted the Albanese government's sweeping overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Amanda Camm, the state's minister for families, seniors and disability services, accused Labor of allowing fraudsters to rort the system, with the new changes leaving those who actually require assistance in the lurch.
'The federal government is walking away from its responsibility to people with a disability,' the minister said.
'The same government that created the NDIS is now introducing legislation without proper consultation with states, territories or peak bodies, and it will fundamentally alter the lives of almost 160,000 Australians living with disability.'
The new measures, unveiled on Wednesday by the NDIS and Health Minister Mark Butler, aim to rein in the scheme's rapid growth by removing as many as 160,000 participants and diverting many children and people with milder disabilities out of the federally funded program.
The minister questioned the practical impact on families with children with autism in Queensland.
'If your child currently receives one‑on‑one occupational therapy, speech therapy or similar supports, you can say goodbye to them,' she said.
'Those services will disappear under these cuts and changes.'
Amanda Camm (pictured) said rorters and fraudsters had been allowed to thrive in the NDIS
She also accused the Commonwealth of mismanagement and failing to address the persistent rorting of the scheme.
'The Albanese government has allowed fraudsters, criminals and rorters to take over a system that was designed to protect our most vulnerable people,' she said.
It follows comments by Camm on Wednesday, where she called the NDIS a 'runaway train'.
'Minister Mark Butler stood up in the National Press Club and outlined the runaway train of which the NDIS has become and, in doing so, simultaneously decoupled the carriages and sent them the states' way,' she said.
The Commonwealth wants annual growth in NDIS spending slashed from 10.3 per cent to just 2 per cent.
One of the most contentious elements is a revamp of early intervention supports, including the 'thriving kids' program, which helps children with autism, which would shift both funding and administration to the states.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli's LNP government has labelled the move a cost shift and accused the Albanese government of stepping back from its responsibilities.
State Treasurer David Janetzki placed the blame for the NDIS's financial woes squarely on Canberra.
Anthony Albanese (pictured) is under pressure from states around NDIS changes
'The federal government's budget matters to Queensland, and the Albanese government must find solutions to the problems it has created,' Janetzki said.
'This NDIS cost shift to the states reflects a failing federal program, and it remains the federal government's responsibility.'
Minister Butler acknowledged that previous attempts to rein in costs had not gone far enough and warned drastic measures were now needed to secure the NDIS's long-term future.
Under the changes, higher-functioning participants with milder conditions, including some people with autism and mental health issues, would be shifted to state or mainstream services.
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls argued the plan fails to tackle the root challenges facing the NDIS.
'The announcements made yesterday by the Albanese Labor government will not even scratch the surface of the challenges faced in Queensland, let alone across the nation,' he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with state and territory leaders, including Crisafulli, at National Cabinet on Thursday, with Queensland understood to remain unsupportive of the proposed changes.