Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about concerns that many people have expressed to me with the government's proposal to introduce independent assessments to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. My words today are addressed to, in particular, the 400,000 participants in the NDIS, their families and the tens of thousands of helpers, carers and allied health professionals. People with disabilities have asked me why they have to, yet again, explain their disability to someone else. They are concerned that the independent assessments are designed to cap payments, kick people off payments or lower people's packages. They are concerned that this will be a medical study, not a community social study. The government has not adequately consulted on this scheme. They promised two pilots, but they've only done one. Of the one that they did do, there were only 500 people, covering only certain disabilities, and only 142 of the 500 even submitted a survey response to how they found the program. And it was all volunteers. The second pilot has not been rolled out, despite the promises, and so, based on the responses of a hundred or so people who liked the independent assessments, 400,000 people now have to go through a period of great anxiety and uncertainty.

The concern which has been expressed to me by disability groups, advocates and participants is that an independent assessment process, a government appointed expert, will have a one-size-fits-all approach. It's been expressed to me that, if you have a neuropsychological condition, if you have an acquired brain injury or if you are on the autism spectrum, a one-off, one-hour interview can hardly get to the nature of the supports you need and shouldn't be treated as more important than those allied health professionals, treating specialists and people who've been working with these participants over many years.

There is also a concern that people from non-English speaking backgrounds will be disadvantaged. There is a concern that these independent assessments will favour white, middle-class, tertiary-educated advocates and that anyone else will have a much greater problem in making their case in that one hour. People with disability communicate in different ways, and there is a grave concern that this scheme will ignore all of the other evidence. People are concerned that there are thin markets, that they won't be able to assess these programs quickly and that it's insulting to the treating allied health professionals who are already looking after these people. We say to the government: hands off the NDIS. Don't rush this. You're causing more anxiety and grief than you need to by the way in which you're implementing this.

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