A dramatic reduction in human involvement in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is set to be implemented next year, with support plans for participants to be generated entirely by a computer program under a major government overhaul.
Automated decision-making with little human oversight
Guardian Australia can exclusively reveal that the planned changes will see funding and support packages created algorithmically. Crucially, NDIS staff will have no discretion to amend these computer-generated plans, marking a fundamental shift in how the scheme operates.
The overhaul also significantly curtails participants' rights to challenge decisions. The reforms are designed to introduce greater consistency and control costs within the rapidly expanding scheme, but they raise profound concerns about fairness and the removal of human judgment from a process dealing with complex individual needs.
Gambling reform impact questioned in other exclusive
In a separate exclusive report, new research indicates that one of the Albanese government's flagship gambling reforms has had a limited effect on Australia's most prolific bettors. The ban on using credit cards for online wagering, introduced to curb harmful gambling, reportedly had the least impact on the heaviest users of betting platforms.
The findings suggest that high-volume punters simply shifted to alternative payment methods, prompting questions about the effectiveness of the policy in protecting those most at risk.
Global and domestic headlines: From Putin's threats to supermarket sorbets
On the world stage, Vladimir Putin made a series of bellicose remarks ahead of talks with a US envoy in Moscow, stating that Russia was "ready for war" if Europe wanted a fight. His comments escalate tensions amidst ongoing closed-door discussions about the war in Ukraine.
Domestically, mining magnate Gina Rinehart faces opposition over plans to install a helipad at her new Perth headquarters. Her company argued that pads are a modern business necessity, but the City of Perth council is expected to reject the proposal.
In lighter news, Guardian taste testers have turned their scrutiny to supermarket sorbets, with one raspberry variety achieving a rare nine-out-of-ten score for its "superheroic transformation," while another was deemed simply "appalling."
Meanwhile, as national literacy and numeracy (Naplan) results are released, data has identified 20 schools that have 'overachieved' across all testing areas compared to schools with similar socioeconomic backgrounds. One standout is Carlingford West in NSW, where 96% of students speak English as an additional language.
These developments come alongside the government conceding that its world-leading plan to bar under-16s from social media might take "days or even weeks" to fully implement and won't be perfect from day one.
