NDIS review to streamline processes

The imminent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) legislation and rules has been described by Minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert, as an important step in the Federal Government’s delivery of its promise to prioritise the scheme.
 
‘The Morrison Government took a policy to the recent election to set new standards for how long it takes people to get their NDIS plan or have their plan reviewed,’ Minister Robert said.
 
‘The life-changing NDIS will be supporting up to 500,000 Australians over the next five years and the Government wants the NDIS to be the best it can be.’
 
Earlier this year the Federal Government received criticism for putting $1.6 billion in unspent NDIS funding towards its surplus, rather than adding to the scheme’s 2019–20 funding allocation. Critics have said the scheme is difficult to access and left patients waiting too long to receive support services.
 
The NDIS review will be led by former finance department secretary David Tune.
 
‘Mr Tune has a great deal of experience in reviewing important policy and is a great choice to lead this next phase of making the NDIS even better,’ Minister Robert said.
 
The Government has promised a new NDIS Participant Service Guarantee (the Guarantee), a set of standards that will govern the timeframes in which people with disability can receive a plan and/or have it reviewed, to take effect in July 2020.
 
The Guarantee will have a particular focus on children and scheme participants who require specialist accommodation and assistive technology, and the review will help inform its parameters.
 
The review will also involve direct consultation with the community, including an online survey and discussion paper, as well as face-to-face workshops throughout the country.
 
‘We are listening, and will be consulting with people with disability and their families, the disability services sector, ministers and officials from Commonwealth and state governments and the NDIA [National Disability Insurance Agency] as part of this review,’ Minister Robert said.
 
Advocates from the disability sector have welcomed the announcement, expressing hopes the review will help to address common complaints about people’s experiences with the scheme.
 
‘People with disability need the NDIS to be easier to access, easier to deal with and more focused on us,’ Romola Hollywood, Director of Policy and Advocacy for People With Disability Australia, told AAP.
 

disability Disability healthcare National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS