A long-awaited review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme is promising sweeping reforms over the next five years. The report says the gap between those inside and outside the NDIS is unfair, and urges more mainstream services for people with disability.
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00:00 Claire Betholi joined the National Disability Insurance Scheme 10 years ago.
00:06 The NDIS has changed her life.
00:08 It's helped the 27-year-old to complete a university degree and get a job.
00:12 Without the NDIS I would totally not be able to leave my house and not be able to get out
00:19 of bed.
00:20 But a long-awaited review has found the scheme has grown much faster than expected and changes
00:25 required to make it sustainable.
00:27 The National Disability Insurance Scheme is here to stay.
00:31 It is not going away.
00:34 But we need to get it back on track.
00:36 The review panel want access to the NDIS to be granted on the basis of need rather
00:40 than a medical diagnosis.
00:42 It means no one with a disability will get automatic access, including people who are
00:47 autistic.
00:48 Instead they'll need to show the impact their disability has on their daily life.
00:52 No longer what is your label, but how does your impairment affect your life?
00:58 The panel want more services to be provided outside of the NDIS, with funding split 50/50
01:04 between the states and the feds.
01:06 Your child may need a modest amount of support that should be found in mainstream settings
01:10 like schools and kindergartens and childcare.
01:13 Also recommended are steps to attract and retain more disability workers, moves to register
01:18 all NDIS providers and an independent pricing mechanism to prevent overcharging.
01:23 While tightening eligibility is a key part of this review, the panel is clear that can't
01:28 happen in a vacuum and it's only something they're calling for if supports are built
01:31 up elsewhere.
01:33 And they're emphasising it's essential that the disability community is involved in discussions
01:37 at every stage.
01:38 These reforms will not work without the active and ongoing participation of people with disability.
01:45 We want a seat at the table.
01:47 We want the scheme sustainable and we need the states to be part of ensuring the scheme
01:51 is sustainable.
01:53 We know what it was like to live without the NDIS.
01:55 We do not want to go back to those days.
01:58 And any change won't happen soon.
02:00 The government's due to respond to the report next year, with any transition to be phased
02:04 in over five years.
02:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]