By Julia Squire, Ability Options CEO
The disability sector has entered a period of even more rapid recommendations and change in recent months. I wanted to highlight a few things that have happened.
- The recent pricing review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) left many on the frontline of service delivery disappointed and questioning future sustainability of the sector.
- The government has released a draft list of what NDIS participants can and cannot spend their funding on and opened that list for a brief period of public consultation. The interim lists form part of the NDIS reform bill currently before parliament.
- The landmark final report from the Disability Royal Commission was responded to by government in its preliminary response.
- The passing of the “Getting the NDIS back on track” legislation by the Australian Government.
Providers disappointed by NDIS Pricing Review
By now, you may have heard that many registered service providers are facing tough decisions.
The recent review of pricing for the NDIS has not met the expectations from providers for what is needed to continue offering high-quality services in many communities.
The outcome reinforces our support for an independent pricing authority for the NDIS, as we now have for hospitals and aged care, as recommended by the NDIS Review.
The review details an overall 3.19 per cent pricing rise, which National Disability Services CEO Laurie Leigh says, “fails to recognise the real costs of service delivery” and may damage the sector’s ability to provide high-quality support”.
The 3.19% overall price increase is lower than inflation and lower than the 3.75% wage uplift announced by the Fair Work Commission, which providers must pay their staff.
This year’s price review poses significant challenges in providing high-quality services to the people who need them the most. We join the united voices in our sectors for the NDIA to consider whether the consequences of the Review on participants, employees and providers are really their desired outcome at a time when reform to return the NDIS to its founding principles and quality and safety should be our shared focus.
Ability Options remains committed to our mission to support people who need assistance to achieve their aspirations and inclusions in the community, and we will continue to advocate strongly for a better, more inclusive Australia.
Draft list of NDIS Supports
The Conversation recently published an interesting summary about the draft list of NDIS supports proposed by government.
The list outlines a proposed reform to what participants can and cannot spend their funding on, but the list of exclusions could force people with disability to use more costly services, according to The Conversation.
Consultation was open for a very brief period, and as Senator Jordon Steele-John said in Parliament, “I have milk in my fridge with a longer expiration date than the government gave the disability community to give feedback on the vital necessary supports we need to live our lives”. The consultation was originally for two weeks and extended to three weeks, closing on 25 August. Ability Options responded highlighting the need for considered reform that does not lose sight of the purpose of the NDIS.
If you would like to read through the list, you can find more information by clicking here.
Response to the Disability Royal Commission
The initial response from the government to the Disability Royal Commission’s landmark final report on 31 July has been considered lacking, according to some in the sector, although it is only preliminary.
The government has accepted that they have primary or shared responsibility for 172 of the over 200 recommendations. The government has:
- accepted just 13 recommendations in full,
- accepted 117 recommendations in principle,
- are considering a further 36 recommendations, and
- noted 6 recommendations.
The government has committed:
At Ability Options, we didn’t wait for the report to be released to ensure our participants receive high-quality, person-centred, safe support. After sitting in the hearings and engaging closely with the reports that were published along the way, we developed our person-centred Practice Framework.
The Ability Options Practice Framework implemented last year addresses these principles.
The NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce
Last year, the NDIS Review recommended compulsory registration or enrolment for all providers, with a ‘graduated risk-proportionate model.’
In response, Minister for the NDIS the Hon. Bill Shorten established the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce to advise the government on the design and implementation of this new registration system.
The Taskforce provided its report to Minister Shorten in July, but the government has not yet formally responded to the report, nor committed to its implementation or timeframes.
For an interesting deep dive into the Taskforce and its report, Team DSC released a summary and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article on their website.
With lots going on in the sector, Ability Options will continue to keep our participants, families, and staff up to date.
