Martin Hoffman

NDIS not the killer in wait list tragedies says it is misleading to blame the scheme for those who die waiting

WHILE I understand concerns over a media report last month linking deaths to prospective National Disability Insurance Scheme participants waiting for access to the scheme, it is important to clarify that the premise that people have passed away because they were waiting for NDIS support is misleading.

I also think it is important to address a Talking Point opinion article by federal Labor member for Lyons Brian Mitchell titled “NDIS failing too many Tasmanians” (Mercury, February 14).

These deaths are tragic, however, the NDIS was designed to ensure people living with disability receive the appropriate disability-related supports they need.

The NDIS was not designed to provide critical healthcare and NDIS participants, like all Australians, continue to have access to our country’s health system.

It is also important to note that the majority of people transitioning to the scheme continued to receive state government supports prior to receiving their NDIS plans.

Can we, the NDIA, perform better?

Absolutely, and we are striving to improve and make the experience easier for all participants to assist their everyday lives.

Access times to the NDIS remain a key focus and is an area in which the agency has made significant improvement.

The latest Quarterly Report released this past week shows the average wait time to determine eligibility to the scheme is now four days.

The report also highlights the significant progress the NDIS is making in Tasmania.

As at December 31, 2019, there are now almost 340,000 Australians benefiting from NDIS, including 7679 Tasmanians with almost half of these people receiving supports for the very first time.

Funding for disability services nationwide has increased from $8 billion in 2015-16 to $17.8 billion in 201920. More than $16 billion of this is direct funding for people with disability.

These figures show that Australians are getting significant support under the NDIS — including here in Tasmania.

Tasmanians with a disability but not eligible for NDIS funding will also benefit from broader support.

Last year the Government awarded more than $10 million to Tasmanian organisations through its Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) framework, demonstrating its commitment to supporting all Tasmanians with disability.

It is true that the scale and size of this transformational reform means we have not got it right for every person and I agree that the NDIS needs to be easier to navigate and more accessible.

While we have seen a range of improvements start to have an impact, there is more to do, and we can and will do better.

THESE DEATHS ARE TRAGIC, HOWEVER, THE NDIS WAS DESIGNED TO ENSURE PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITY RECEIVE THE APPROPRIATE DISABILITY-RELATED SUPPORTS THEY NEED. THE NDIS WAS NOT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE CRITICAL HEALTHCARE