NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme A presentation by Frank Hall-Bentick Chairperson Disability Resources Centre

History funding support for people with disability Institutional services 1880s – 1970s setup on charity basis to protect lives of the handicapped Handicapped Programs Review 1985 & National Disability Services Act 1986 promised major reform from institutional to independent living models Commonwealth State Disability Agreement – 1992 sought to rationalise & integrate disability services on national basis Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability – 2007 mandates human rights to people with disability as central focus Australia 2020 Summit – 2008 recommends National Disability Insurance Scheme National Disability Agreement – 2009 improved outcomes for people with disability and performance indictors Shut Out Report – 2009 recommends improving disability support and services

The Campaign Initiated & lead by National Disability Services in The NDIS website states; ‘Australia's approach to disability services is crisis-driven and welfare-based. A National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) would change this. The Scheme would provide funding for essential care, support, therapy, aids, equipment, home modifications and access to the community, education and training. As an insurance-based scheme, providing cover to Australians as and when they needed it, an NDIS would be funded by all taxpayers through general revenue or an extension of the Medicare insurance levy. An insurance-based approach to disability services stems from the view that disability is a "risk" that can strike anyone in our society, with potentially catastrophic consequences if proper support services are not in place, but will not affect everyone.’ continued

The Campaign cont…. ‘Because an NDIS would be a major social and economic reform, on a par with the introduction of Medicare and compulsory superannuation, the first necessary step towards implementation is a detailed feasility study that would allow for careful, thorough planning and consultations with the States and all stakeholders. It is envisaged that principal beneficiaries would be those Australians with profound and severe disabilities (approx 700,000) who need assistance with daily living tasks (self care, communication and mobility) while people with more moderate disabilities could also be eligible for some assistance based on their lesser needs.’ The campaign now has almost two hundred organisations including disability services, parent & carer organisations and disabled peoples organisation supporting national reform and funded through a medicare type arrangement.

Productivity Commission Review On the 17 th February 2010 the Australian Government requested the Productivity Commission conduct an inquiry into a ‘Long-term Disability Care and Support Scheme’ The inquiry will assess the costs, cost effectiveness, benefits, and feasibility of an approach which: provides long-term essential care and support for eligible people with a severe or profound disability, on an entitlement basis and taking account the desired outcomes for each person over a lifetime is intended to cover people with disability not acquired as part of the natural process of ageing calculates and manages the costs of long-term care and support for people with severe and profound disability continued

Productivity Commission Review replaces the existing system funding for the eligible population ensures a range of support options is available, including individualised approaches includes a coordinated package of care services which could include accommodation support, aids and equipment, respite, transport and a range of community participation and day programs available for a person's lifetime assists the person with disability to make decisions about their support provides support for people to participate in employment where possible. Website

DRC Concerns The Disability Resources Centre is concerned that the Productivity Commission Terms of Reference; predetermine that only people with severe or profound disability will be eligible. separates aging from disability which will create going funding and service problems in receiving support from different funding streams. seeks to impose funding limits on support regardless of type of disability, severity or location, city, rural or remote and manage peoples lives. locks people into existing services as a default and as these services are mostly large bureaucracies the process of institutionalisation continues. continued

DRC Concerns continued does not give priority to small community based supports. does not include education support which is key to people with disabilities being employed in more than sheltered workshops. does not examine how this scheme with comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities particularly Article 4 General Obligations which mandates a human rights approach to provide support to all people with disabilities. Further we are concerned that the development of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has been driven by Disability Service Providers and that key Disabled Peoples Organisations were not included as equal partners from the beginning.

What You Can Do! Make a submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry, –1. Telling your story –2. Addressing as many of the Terms of Reference as you can. Attend the Public Hearings to, –1. Tell your story –2. Support others to tell theirs –3. Indicate to Government the seriousness of these inadequate services and supports. Thank you for listening