"I Am Not A Number" Documentary Film
We made a film. And it's gonna be on Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia soon.
➡️ Content Warning: NDIS Impacts. This 30 minute documentary may be triggering for some.
And actually, we really hope that it is positively triggering for people who think that the NDIS is in good shape, and for those who think that Participants are the problem.
With the Election Looming, All Politicians Need to Watch This: MILLIONS of Votes and the Disability Community is Organised
About 18 months ago, an esteemed scholar from the University of New South Wales ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, proposed a project to make a documentary about the application of algorithms by the NDIA in planning processes and the unfathomable human and cost impact on NDIS participants and their families.
The finished product will be broadcast by SBS some time in May. But we can't wait for the election, because one of the main reasons for the project was to inform as many Australians and politicians about the problems BEFORE the election.
Around the country, the disability community is politically activated and organised. And angry. In every electorate. Change is coming.
As Alan Turing said: "Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of, who do the things no one can imagine."
Why the Film?
Over the past decade, the disability community - myself included - have been actively working to expose the systemic failings, corruption and defects of the NDIA NDIS. The "NDIS Review" was not about reform - otherwise the operations and management of the NDIA, the agency itself - would have been within the scope of the terms of reference of the review.
The NDIS Review was nothing more than "Review Theatre", because to dig any deeper would be very inconvenient, exposing government sanctioned human algorithmic experimentation in the hands of an incompetent bureaucracy. All this will be told will in a Royal Commission.
So the defective NDIS Bill was triumphantly passed, and is now defective law. Made possible by backroom political deals, arse covering and the betrayal by the gutless so called independents.
Thousands of submissions warning of harm have been written. And ignored.
Ignored by the very politicians many of whom now seek our votes. Gotcha.
RoboNDIS Class Action Royal Commission campaign leader Mark Toomey has likened the RoboNDIS horror with the UK Post Office scandal - the computer says no - which was ignored and denied by the UK government and bureaucracy for years - resulting in suicides, unlawful prosecution, and forced bankruptcies.
The "computer says no" and "I am not a number" have chilling parallels.
Deaths
We predicted the deaths that would happen. From my previous submissions, protected by Parliamentary Privilege:
I am 100% certain that people will be caught in desperate situations...WHO accepts responsibility for this, including death resulting from withdrawal of services due to funding cuts.
Harm and fear of harm is the only result. Further harm cannot be prevented.
From Samantha Connor AM
NDIS participants are dying at rates 60% higher than the general Australian population (e.g., 10.68 per 1,000 vs 6.66 per 1,000 in 2022–23).
Middle-aged NDIS participants (45-54 years old) have mortality rates more than 7 times higher than non-disabled Australians of the same age.
Children on the NDIS die at more than twice the rate of other Australian children.
The usual pattern of higher male mortality is shockingly reversed within the NDIS: female participants are dying at nearly twice the rate of males.
Female NDIS participants aged 45-54 are over 10 times more likely to die than Australian women of the same age not on the Scheme.
Due to new eligibility rules introduced in 2024, non-mortality exits surged dramatically. In one quarter alone (Jan-Mar 2024), 3,400 NDIS participants were forced out, more than double the typical quarterly number.
That included nearly 3,000 children who were forced off the NDIS, often with no alternative supports in place, described by advocates as exiting them “to absolutely nothing”. And more are being thrown off every day.
At the end of last year, in the last three months, more than 6,700 NDIS participants had been booted off the NDIS. The same scheme we had to prove that we had a permanent disability for.
The 8% participant growth cap has forced an unprecedented culling of existing NDIS participants, pushing thousands into uncertainty and distress, with devastating human consequences.
Plan cuts and support removals have been linked directly to deaths. Participants like Jim Mills, who lost essential NDIS supports, saw suicide as their only escape, choosing voluntary assisted dying after being stripped of services.
Another tragic case: David Harris died unnoticed on his kitchen floor the NDIA and medical system failed him. His decomposed body was discovered months later, highlighting lethal gaps in oversight and support.
Despite myths, provider registration is no guarantee of participant safe. Horrific cases of neglect, abuse, and preventable death have occurred even under fully registered providers, including Ann-Marie Smith’s fatal neglect case.
Many participants and families report experiencing extreme mental distress, financial hardship, and deteriorating health following cuts to plans or forced exits. Many have lost their lives soon after losing NDIS support.
Advocates warn that the NDIS is effectively pushing disabled Australians back into institutional or inappropriate aged care settings, reversing decades of progress in disability rights and dignity.
I have watched ten members of our community die in the past two weeks. This is not what we signed up for.
We need decision makers elected who will make sure we are safe, supported and able to participate in life on the same basis as other Australians.
It’s time to #CripTheVote. Vote for people who care about every Australian.
Unlawful Operations
The JSCNDIS found that the NDIA has been operating unlawfully for a decade. Read here.
The NDIA CEO admitted that the agency does not read reports - upon which Participant funding is determined. Unlawful. Read here.
Defective Systems and Experimental Algorithms
The NDIA NDIS systems are defective, dangerous, and fragile with cyber security vulnerabilities (statements protected by Parliamentary Privilege). No wonder the NDIS systems are offline every month or so due to extensive multi-system outages. Read here.
No Ethics
There is no ethics framework. Read here.
No Risk to Life Documented
There is no documentation of risk to life from the NDIA's own operations. Read here.
Corruption and Law Enforcement Action
A potential inquiry by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) into the NDIA is looming. Read here. And if that's not enough, the conduct of NDIA officials has been referred to law enforcement agencies over gifting and questionable procurement practices. Read here. Read my tear down of the fantastical NDIA "business case" for the Salesforce PACE system - protected by Parliamentary Privilege.
Bloated Bureaucracy and the Performance of the NDIA Board
Worried about the bloated bureaucracy? Check out what's revealed in damning FOI org structure documents pursued by Mark Sweeney. Also, check out Mark's great analysis of NDIA organisational performance and the never-ending processing backlog.
Of course, against this background, is the eagerly awaited Australian National Audit Office audit into the performance of the NDIA Board - the report is due any day now, let's see if that happens before the election. Will the stars align? We all know what would happen if the Reserve Bank Board oversaw so many financial, economic and human disasters and potential corrupt practices. Why should the NDIA Board, which overseas such a massive chunk of the Australian Federal Budget and economy, be any different?
Class Action Royal Commission into RoboNDIS
Class Actions and Royal Commissions can take a while to get off the ground, often relying on the alignment of the stars and political fortunes and interests.
This Federal Election is such an alignment.
Make no mistake, RoboDebt and RoboNDIS are twin programs. Created at the same time. By the same people. Made possible by the same putrid culture. Read here.
We have a pile of evidence to be told at Class Action Royal Commission hearings, which will eventually happen. Of that I am confident, and so far my crystal ball 🔮 has a bankable track record.
Storyline and Who's Involved
I Am Not a Number explores the human impact of algorithmic technologies in Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The film follows seven Australians as they navigate algorithmic systems that affect their access to vital support, funding, and opportunities for a fulfilling life.
Seven people whose lives have been profoundly affected by these technological changes. Their stories reveal how rigid algorithms struggle to adapt to the diverse and unique needs of people with disability, exposing the human costs of technological innovation.
By hearing from those directly impacted, the film reveals how technologies intended to improve efficiency through automation can perpetuate inequality, frustration, and alienation for people reliant on the scheme.
At the same time, it highlights the potential of technology, particularly assistive technologies, to empower and improve life for people with disability.
Tackling head on the societal impacts of AI in today’s world, I Am Not a Number invites audiences to reimagine technological systems as tools to transform social services for the benefit of everyday people.
With thanks to the extraordinary researchers, producers, cinematographers, who conceived this idea and got it off the ground.
The film is by Jeni Lee in collaboration with Georgia van Toorn. Research consultants Sarah Pink and Thao Phan. Consultant producer Anna Grieve. Created in consultation with RoboNDIS activists who you get to meet in this film, and in the images below.
