Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I present the committee's report entitled Transitional Arrangements for the NDIS.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Transition to the full National Disability Insurance Scheme started in July 2016 and is expected to be completed by 2020. At full scheme, about 475,000 people will be NDIS participants. The arrangements, time lines and implementation of the transition to the NDIS are set out in the bilateral agreements between the Australian, state and territory governments and vary across jurisdictions. To date, the Australian Capital Territory is the only jurisdiction to have completed full transition to the scheme. Elsewhere, the intake of participants is falling behind schedule. The transition period presents significant challenges, which are explored throughout this report.

Delays in processes

Firstly, the committee received evidence of delays in accessing the scheme as well as delays in plan approvals, plan activations and access to services. As a result of the delays in the intake of participants against bilateral estimates, there were over 34,500 people in September 2017 who should have already been participants who were yet to access the scheme. The committee heard that the plan review process is too lengthy and can jeopardise participants' abilities to access services.

Interface between the NDIS and mainstream services

Secondly, the committee received evidence that whilst interactions between the NDIS and mainstream services are guided by the principles agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments, they are subject to interpretation and lack clarity. This is resulting in boundary issues and funding disputes, which can lead to reduced access or no access to services for both NDIS participants and people with disability not eligible for the NDIS. Additionally, the committee found that the current transition of Commonwealth, state and territory programs to the NDIS is contributing to emerging service gaps and the lack of clear delineation of funding responsibility between the NDIS and state and territory services. In particular, the committee received significant evidence of boundary issues in the areas of health, aged care, education, transport, housing and justice.

Impediments to deliver services

Thirdly, the committee heard that the administrative burdens experienced by service providers, the inadequacy of the NDIS pricing caps and disability workforce shortages are significant barriers to the delivery of NDIS services across all jurisdictions in Australia.

Rollout of the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building Program (ILC)

Fourthly, the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building program, the ILC, is still in its infancy and has not yet started in all jurisdictions. However, the committee heard that insufficient funding has been allocated to the ILC program during the transition period. The committee is concerned that the current grant funding approach for ILC activities may result in service gaps for some essential services and has the potential to disadvantage some cohorts because of their type of disability or geographical location.

Thin market and provider of last resort

The transition to a market based system brings new challenges for delivering services in areas of thin markets. The committee found that thin markets will persist for some participants, including for those living in rural and remote areas, people with complex needs, people involved in the criminal justice system, people from CALD backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Greater clarity is required on how the NDIA intends to intervene in areas of thin markets. The committee is concerned that provider of last resort arrangements remain unclear and incomplete.

Service gaps

The committee also heard that the transition to a market-based system combined with the transition of Commonwealth, state and territory programs has resulted in emerging service gaps in important areas, including advocacy, assertive outreach and support coordination.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds

The committee received evidence that the current NDIS participation rates for people with disability from CALD backgrounds are significantly below that which had been anticipated. The committee is concerned that a comprehensive NDIS CALD strategy is yet to be published and implemented.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are experiencing additional challenges to engage with the NDIS. The committee found that prerollout and preplanning engagement activities are essential and must be prioritised by the National Disability Insurance Agency. The committee is concerned about reports of a lack of cultural competencies among NDIA staff.

The committee found that growing the disability workforce in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities needs to be prioritised to ensure supply of services.

Conclusion

The committee received a wealth of information and evidence throughout the inquiry and thanks all those who participated. As a result, the committee has made 26 recommendations, which aim to ensure that improved and appropriate arrangements can be put in place to provide necessary and reasonable supports for all NDIS participants and fully realise the objectives of the scheme.

I thank the committee members and the secretariat for their efforts.

In conclusion, may I stress this: this is the fourth report of the joint standing committee in this parliament. Individually and collectively they present a disturbing picture of the operation of the NDIS. Not only are key goals being missed, the experience of the scheme for too many participants and providers alike is inconsistent, haphazard and inadequate. And this is occurring at a time when the rollout is about to be accelerated significantly.

There is enormous goodwill, as all members know, and considerable hope that this scheme will improve the lives of the most disabled in our community. While this has been the experience of many, there are a significant number of cases where these aspirations are simply not being met. Therefore, there is an urgent need for remedial action to be taken by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

There is also an urgent need for the states and territories to share accurate and timely information and to commit themselves to the provision of ongoing disability services for people not covered by the scheme. The committee will continue to monitor the operation of the scheme, but is most concerned about progress to date.

Debate interrupted.