A convicted child rapist received $1.4 million from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which has paid millions to sex offenders when they are released from prison.
High-risk and repeat offenders, deemed too dangerous or vulnerable to live in specialist facilities, are receiving high-level NDIS funding to live in secure, supervised accommodation in the community.
Convicted sex offenders who are diagnosed with serious mental illness or mild to medium intellectual disability are also among the beneficiaries of support, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Court documents have revealed that the money is being used to place offenders in secure accommodation that is in line with their court-ordered supervision plans.
A 40-year-old Victorian man, convicted of rape, sexual assault, indecent acts with a child under 16, manufacturing and possession of child abuse material and stalking, was awarded $1.4 million to pay for 24-hour supervision hours.
The NDIS is spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to help rapists and pedophiles find safe accommodation upon their release from prison.
He was diagnosed with mild to medium intellectual disability, personality disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, pedophilic disorder, and compulsive sexual behavior disorder.
The man will be housed in secure accommodation in a regional Victorian town, where he will require 24/7 supervision by two members of staff.
A court was told the NDIS was willing to spend $1.4 million to support the man.
The terms of the agreement will be finalized by a judge once construction of the secure unit is completed and undergoes a security check.
A second convicted pedophile, a 44-year-old man from Queensland, received a support package worth $500,000 from the NDIS scheme.
He has convictions for indecent treatment of a child (three counts), sexual assault, suffocation, suffocation and strangulation.
The man was diagnosed with mild intellectual disability, very low intelligence, antisocial personality disorder and psychopathic traits.
He received half a million dollars in support despite a judge declaring the man had “probably lied to occupational therapists and others who assessed him for an NDIS support package”.
High-risk, repeat sex offenders deemed too dangerous or vulnerable to live in specialist facilities are receiving high-level NDIS funding to live under supervision in the community (file image)
A third beneficiary, a 63-year-old man from New South Wales, was allocated $100,000 from the scheme between 2022 and 2023.
The man was convicted of incest involving sexual assault (two counts), failure to comply with probation, and failure to comply with the obligations of being a registered sex offender.
The 63-year-old also admitted allegations of sexual violence during the marriage.
He was deemed eligible to receive $100,000 in NDIS funding after being diagnosed with below average intelligence, major depressive disorder, sexual sadism disorder and severe psychopathic personality disorder.
The man was not given a supervision order, and a NSW Supreme Court judge said it was likely his “depressive symptoms and related impairments” that had made him eligible for NDIS funding.
The NDIS said it did not know how many sex offenders with disabilities were currently receiving financial support from the scheme.
‘Every Australian, regardless of any previous criminal conviction, has the right to access the support systems offered by the government to help them live their lives. “This type of support can be crucial in reducing the risk of reoffending,” a spokesperson said.
The NDIS will cost taxpayers $42 billion this financial year and $90 billion by 2031. About 646,000 Australians participate in the disability scheme, but only about 100 receive packages worth more than $1 million.
Participants with intellectual disabilities received an average payment of $98,100 in the 2023/24 financial year, an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year.
The NDIS paid a total of $8.54 billion to participants with intellectual disabilities in the same period, compared to $7.17 billion in the previous financial year.