The Albanese Government is planning a crackdown on fraud within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which was set up to provide funding to people with disabilities to access services/support. Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has set up a taskforce to investigate dodgy dealings, saying it’s “sickening that criminal syndicates are stealing from people with disability”. There are 38 investigations underway, with 1,700 tip-offs received last month alone. The government is also reviewing the NDIS – Shorten says the scheme has “lost its way” with funding blowouts putting it on track to cost more than Medicare in a couple of years. “To enable the NDIS to reach its potential, we need to – in essence – reboot,” Shorten says, and will ask the states to “step up” in funding negotiations this year. Speaking of funding woes, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is under pressure this morning after saying ‘yeah nah’ to a $24 billion proposal from his handpicked committee to boost unemployment benefits – he says “we can’t fund every good idea”.