Disability service providers from around Australia joined the Every Australian Counts National Day of Action today to call for a better National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Events were held across Australia, with all sides of politics invited to attend to hear about the issues facing people with disability under the NDIS.
National Disability Services (NDS) Acting CEO, David Moody said, "Service providers joined with thousands of Australians across the country today urging bipartisan support to ensure the NDIS delivers the great social reform we were promised.
"The NDIS is transforming the lives of many participants, but too many people with disability still aren't getting the support they need because of problems with the way the Scheme is being implemented," Mr Moody said.
Today, Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten and Shadow Minister, Linda Burney announced how they would go about making 'fixing the NDIS' a priority, with ten policy positions.
NDS welcomed some policies announced by the Opposition, including:
- Putting people with disability first with a focus on an insurance approach which assumes that funding is provided early to support people not to have rely on more expensive supports later in life;
- Establishing an NDIS Reserve Fund with the intention of ensuring the Scheme's funding is consistent, and any peaks or troughs in funding are smoothed out;
- More and better trained staff, and the removal of the head count cap on the NDIA;
- Improvements to planning, identification and access to the right supports for people with disability;
- Greater and more equitable access to the NDIS, with approaches that take account of local and cultural realities;
- A promise to fix the gaps between the NDIS and mainstream services under a new National Disability Agreement;
- A commitment to a skilled disability workforce, which NDS has called for, through a considered National Workforce Strategy; and
- A boost to advocacy and keeping people with disability safe.
