Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion moved by the member for Hughes on the health supports provided under the NDIS.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme aims to see people with disabilities live life to their full potential. The scheme is a world first that is improving the quality of life for its participants. However, the Morrison government has acknowledged that there is still work to be done to make sure that the NDIS is functioning as intended to meet the needs of participants. Since the introduction of the NDIS, the Council of Australian Governments' Disability Reform Council has been committed to resolving outstanding challenges in the interaction between the NDIS and other service providers so that Australians with a disability receive the supports they need. Since last year, the Disability Reform Council has resolved a number of longstanding issues between the NDIS and the health system. The council agreed that the NDIS will fund disability related health supports where the support is required as a result of the participant's disability and will assist the participant to undertake activities of daily living.

As a member of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I have participated in public hearings where valuable feedback from the community will help to shape improvements to the scheme. Part of the function of the NDIS is to provide supports for people with a disability, and these new health supports have been introduced to assist participants to manage a range of needs. These include needs associated with continence; respiratory care; nutrition; wound and pressure care; dysphagia, diabetes, podiatry and epilepsy. Additional supports have been available from October last year.

For an NDIS participant with dysphagia this means access to swallowing therapy and an oral eating-and-drinking-care plan to make mealtimes just that little bit easier. Those needing respiratory supports can now have access to a ventilator, air humidifier or cough assist machine to assist with breathing. The list of refundable supports is not exhaustive, and supports may be delivered in a range of ways. Disability related health supports can be delivered by suitably qualified and competent workers, which may include nurses and allied health professionals. The NDIA is working closely with the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to ensure participants who may be eligible for these supports have been included in their NDIS plans. The NDIA is also prioritising urgent and complex cases for plan reviews and has commenced working with known participants to ensure they have disability related health supports included in their plans.

The NDIA has also been making proactive outbound calls to participants assessed as likely to require disability related health supports to inform them of the opportunity to include these supports in their NDIS plans. This has included contacting all urgent and complex cases that have been identified by the states and territories. Since January this year, approximately 5,145 of these calls have been made. Many participants have welcomed the call, as they were unaware of these changes.

By embracing disability related health supports, the NDIS is upholding the principles of choice and control. This means the NDIS participants are at the centre of all decisions made about their plan. It will provide greater independence for participants in their everyday lives. Our government is continually reviewing the ways we can improve the NDIS. We want all participants to be able to access the services they need for quality and meaningful life. Since the election, the Morrison government has improved the NDIS, implementing longer plan durations for participants and their families, increased and more transparent pricing for providers and a new NDIS employment strategy.

In our communities, the supports I have discussed today are complementary to the work of thousands of NDIS supporters. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Aspire Early Intervention in Newington and the Differently Abled People Association in Homebush West, two organisations in my electorate of Reid who have each received $20,000 under the Transition Assistance Funding initiative. The NDIS has revolutionised how we are, as a nation, able to support Australians who are living with a disability, ensuring that they and their families have the resources they need to thrive. We will continue to improve the NDIS to ensure that all participants can have access to the supports and services that they need.

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