16,000 less people on DSP this year - The Australian lies exposed

There was actually a fall  last financial year of the numbers of people on the Disability Support Pension, of 16,000 people. On top of that, The Australian's claim that it was costing $17billion is exaggerated by a half $billion. What's a bit of rounding though eh?

The number of people receiving Disability Support Pensions in Australia is in decline and so there is no blowout occurring despite media claims to the contrary, according to the CEO of peak body, National Disability Services, Ken Baker. 

“The number of DSP recipients is falling; so is the proportion in work,” Baker told Pro Bono Australia News. 

“Despite claims in The Australian newspaper that the Disability Support Pension (DSP) ‘has reached an unsustainable point’, the number of DSP recipients has actually declined over the past year. In June 2014, 830,454 people were in receipt of DSP; in June 2015, this had fallen to 814,391,” he said. 

“Between 2013 and 2014, the number of DSP recipients did increase by 8,716, but over the past four years, DSP recipients have declined despite general population growth. In June 2011, there were 818,850 DSP recipients. 

“The front page headline said 'Disability burden hits $17 billion a year'. The actual cost of DSP in 2014-15 was $16.54 billion, an increase of 2.7 per cent on the previous year. The rate of increase of DSP outlays should flatten as the fall in DSP numbers takes effect. DSP is indexed at a higher rate than NewStart. probono