Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fisher for his question, for the great work he does for people with disability in his electorate and for his considerable lived experience. I also note that, as at 31 March, there are more than 42,000 participants benefitting from the NDIS in the great state of Queensland, including—and this is really exciting—more than 12,000 who are receiving disability supports for the very first time in their life. That's something the whole House can rejoice in. This also includes 4,600 children, aged between zero and six, who are receiving support through an NDIS plan, with an additional almost 3,000 receiving support via an early childhood early intervention, or ECEI, partner. Now, there have been some challenges with rolling out the ECEI approach. In some areas there have been longer-than-ideal wait times for children. Clearly these wait times are unacceptable, and we've made it a very clear priority to turn it around.

On 26 June I announced the six-month recovery plan for the ECEI approach. For the benefit of the House, the key initiatives of the plan are as follows. Firstly, we'll work with key ECEI partners to secure additional resources to ensure children are able to receive early childhood supports in a far more timely manner. Secondly, for children who are experiencing significant waiting periods for a plan—where the period between an access decision and getting a plan is greater than 50 days—the NDIA will provide a standardised interim plan for six months. These interim plans will be replaced by a full NDIS plan within six months of being issued. Thirdly, for new participants who are not categorised as complex or who are not transferring from an existing Commonwealth state or disability program, they'll be given a six-month interim plan with a package value of $10,000. Fourthly, for those who are transferring from an existing Commonwealth state or territory disability program, their interim NDIS plan and funding package will reflect their existing support levels. If that amount is lower than $10,000, they'll also receive a $10,000 standardised interim plan for six months. Lastly, for participants with complex needs, they'll immediately be streamed to an NDIA early childhood specialist to develop their plan and the appropriate funding package.

To support these initiatives, the NDIA will increase the capacity of its national access team and continue to closely monitor the progress and timeliness of access decisions, including reporting to me. The NDIA will also provide additional support to ECEI partners in areas that are experiencing delays, by redirecting available partners to assist with planning activities. This recovery plan is just one part of a larger plan to deliver the final 20 per cent of the NDIS. We're rolling out significant improvements in planning pathways, two-to-three year plans, expanding the Community Connectors Program and so much more. I look forward to working with everyone on this great national endeavour.

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