A decade on, the NDIS has had triumphs, challenges and controversies. Where to from here?
But in the years since, most of the focus has been on personalised plans, with goals around inclusion and community falling by the wayside.
Resources
Have your say on the NDIS Independent Review
Closing date: August 25, 2023
Many of you have shared your experiences in the NDIS already as part of the independent review process. The ‘What we have heard’ report outlines the feedback received so far. It identifies 5 challenging and important issues that the Review Committee need your help with to find solutions for. Questions have been included for each area and you are invited to answer the questions which are most important to you.
Not a one-stop shop: the NDIS in Australia’s social infrastructure
The NDIS was founded upon a three-tier system, with each tier providing a critical and unique contribution to the overall system of support and care for disabled people. Tier 2 was originally designed to provide for a robust community-based support system, which could offer services not only to NDIS participants, but also to the roughly 4 million disabled people who fell outside of the Tier 3 individualised service provision. This report highlights the declining, sporadic and unpredictable nature of Tier 2 funding. Such funding arrangements are anathema to the creation of a community-based support system since community-based organisations are particularly vulnerable to unpredictable cash flows.
NDIS agency scrambles over risk of leaked sensitive client information in HWL Ebsworth hack
“The [NDIA] is engaging with HWL Ebsworth regarding the cyber incident experienced by HWL Ebsworth and whether any NDIA information has been affected,” the spokesperson said. The firm has represented the NDIA in legal appeals brought against the agency regarding client NDIS plans.
Talkback: The 10th anniversary of the NDIS
When the bill to create the NDIS was first introduced, the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said that the scheme would “transform the lives of people with disability, their families and carers.” But with a major review currently under way, the Minister, Bill Shorten, has expressed concerns, stating that “the NDIS is not what it should be.” So how has the NDIS impacted people’s lives ten years on?
Minister: NDIS pricing changes for necessary participant support
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) today released the 2022-2023 Annual Pricing Review (APR). The NDIA Board is making these price changes to ensure appropriate pricing is in place for participants so they can continue to access high quality supports while also receiving value for money.
Review attends Victorian Council of Social Services Forum
The forum was a great opportunity to hear from and gain clearer understanding of the challenges faced by the community organisations and advocacy groups when accessing and working with the NDIS.
Overstretched NDIS regulator in crisis
As the NDIS regulator pushes to meet targets, its staff say they are pressuring disabled people to drop complaints and are missing serious abuse and neglect.
NDIS participants slam ‘discriminatory’ price gouging in review
National Disability Insurance Scheme participants say they get charged more than double the cost for the same service an able-bodied person could get from an allied health professional, an independent review into the $35 billion-a-year scheme has highlighted.
NDIS participants unable to receive support they require due to lack of access
People on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are missing out on the services they require due to a lack of approved providers, with the situation most acute in regional and rural areas. Newly compiled data from the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations has mapped the number of scheme participants by region, their average budget, the number of service providers available and what portion of their budget is being spent.
NDIS participants ‘kidnapped’ and financially abused in boarding homes for people with disability, report finds
People with high-value National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plans are being “kidnapped” and having their funding drained by providers that are supposed to help them live better lives, a bombshell report says.
‘The Lucky Country’ Let Me Down: Australia’s Broken Disability Support System
There’s an implied link between medicine and disability. The assumption is that if you’re disabled enough to need support, you’ll have an expert team of medical professionals at your disposal to verify this. But people fall through the cracks of our healthcare system every day, unable to find specialists who understand what’s happening to their body. When this happens, they’re left to drown.
Government plans to use NDIS purchasing power to help save billions – but they shouldn’t put products before people
Risks include restricting product selection or inadvertent market price fixing. It also means the government may wind up with a warehouse full of equipment waiting to be matched to a user, rather than the products scheme participants really require.
Budget offers employment hope for people with an intellectual disability and families but concerns remain over NDIS budget targets
There was good news from the Australian Government budget this week with the announcement of funding for a range of measures on supported employment. Supported employment for people with disability is typically provided in Australian Disability Enterprises, also known as sheltered workshops. Providers can legally pay employees as little as $2.75 per hour under the … Continued
NDIS Self-advocacy Learning Hub for people experiencing mental health issues
The Learning Hub contains resources to help people with experiences of mental health issues advocate for what they want under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It is free to use for all NDIS workers, mental health service workers, people supporting NDIS participants, people who are considering applying for the NDIS, and NDIS participants themselves.