Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

As we walk through this process of determining the needs assessment model, that will determine who is undertaking the needs assessments. It's a procedural step that provides information required for the decision to approve the statement of participant supports. And, of course, there are rights of review in access to a needs assessment engaged there. A needs assessment can be challenged if a participant seeks an external or internal merits review of a decision to approve a statement of participant supports. There were amendments in the House to clarify that a replacement needs assessment must be arranged if the decision-maker is satisfied that this should occur and that category A NDIS rules can determine circumstances in which another needs assessment must be undertaken and matters that the CEO must have regard to in considering whether a replacement assessment should be obtained. A legislative note was also included in the amendments to clarify and confirm that the same requirements apply when a decision is being reviewed. So participants will be able to explain to the reviewer why they disagree with the assessment report and want a replacement report to be obtained.

I went through some of that detail just to say that the scope of the work of the needs assessors, if that is the correct term, who are undertaking that work and broader issues about the needs assessment process will be the subject of government decision-making. That is why a decision in relation to funding that work has not yet been undertaken—because there is still work to do through the co-design process to determine the needs assessment tool. That needs to be done before government makes a decision in relation to funding.