Patients will be forced to try all other “appropriate treatment” for their condition before becoming eligible for National Disability Insurance Scheme funding under draft laws.

This includes specialist care even if cost or distance are barriers, according to explanatory notes on the bill, which Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler introduced to Parliament on Thursday.

The bill highlights how the Federal Government plans to achieve its goal set in this week’s federal budget: cutting $36 billion over four years from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

“This bill clearly outlines that people must undertake all appropriate treatments before an impairment can be considered permanent or lifelong for the purpose of accessing the NDIS,” Mr Butler told MPs.