08/07/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1HVUYGMcSy/
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
The people who exploited the NDIS should pay the price.
Not my son.
Not your child.
Not the thousands of families already fighting battles most people will never see.
Dear Australian Government,
I’m not writing this as a politician.
I’m not writing this as an expert.
I’m writing this as an autism dad.
Like thousands of families across Australia, we rely on the NDIS to give our children the support they need. Not because we want handouts, but because without those supports, many of our kids simply don’t get the chance they deserve.
I know there are providers, therapists and support workers out there doing an incredible job every single day. They change lives, and families like mine are forever grateful for them.
But I also know there are people who have exploited the NDIS. They’ve overcharged, manipulated the system and put profit ahead of people while families were simply trying to get their children the help they needed.
Go after those people.
Go after the fraudsters.
Go after every provider who saw dollar signs instead of people.
Hold them accountable.
Because every dollar stolen from the NDIS wasn’t just money.
It was taken from someone else’s child.
But don’t make families pay for their greed.
You’re not just cutting funding.
You’re cutting speech therapy.
You’re cutting occupational therapy.
You’re cutting psychology.
You’re cutting physiotherapy.
You’re cutting support workers.
You’re cutting opportunities.
You’re cutting parents’ hope.
You’re cutting a child’s chance to communicate…
to learn…
to regulate…
to grow…
and to become more independent.
Every decision you make lands on the shoulders of mums and dads who are already carrying more than most people will ever understand.
We’re not asking for luxury.
We’re not asking for special treatment.
We’re asking for the support our children genuinely need.
If the system needs fixing, fix it.
If people have committed fraud, prosecute them.
If providers have exploited vulnerable Australians, hold them accountable.
But please don’t punish the families who have done absolutely nothing wrong.
Because every time a genuine family loses the support they need, the people who abused the system win all over again.
This isn’t about budgets.
It isn’t about politics.
It’s about children.
It’s about families.
It’s about hope.
Please don’t let the people who exploited the system become the reason the people who genuinely need it lose the support that helps them live their lives.
Do better.
For Benji.
For every child like him.
For every Australian living with disability.
For every family still fighting.
— Rick McGrath
Founder, Autism Dad
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