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Australians do not deserve NDIS delay
21st Jul 2014
Delaying the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will only generate additional anxiety amongst the very people it is intended to help, the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) said today.
A report by external advisor KPMG has raised concerns about the financial sustainability of the scheme, which is meant to fund long term care and support provided to Australians with disability.
ALA spokesperson Tony Kerin said that while it is important to consider the issues raised by the KPMG report, any delay in implementing the NDIS could cruel the hopes of those people with disabilities who are so desperately in need of help and have been so for decades.
“Public expectations for the NDIS are very high, and any delay in the rollout of the scheme will only generate concern, distress and frustration in those people who require assistance,” Mr Kerin said.
“It is right and proper to consider the issues raised in the KPMG report, however these concerns should not necessitate a delay in the continued implementation of the NDIS. We need to ensure that the NDIS is not weighed down by inefficiencies and supports as many people as possible.”
“What is particularly worrying are the reports emerging about the lack of communication between the NDIS agency and people working in the sector,” Mr Kerin said.
“Lack of communication and lack of funding were core problems in the disability sector previously, and the effectiveness of the NDIS will be curtailed if this is not addressed now.
“Fiscal sustainability and scheme design were always going to be an issue for any government-run scheme. However, the success of the NDIS ultimately comes down to political will,” Mr Kerin said.
“Fiscal sustainability ultimately will arise via a series of conscious and continuing decisions to invest in the lives and futures of Australians with disability.”
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