The Malinauskas Labor Government is stepping in to support adults and children with disabilities and complex needs who cannot access the National Disability Insurance Scheme due to their visa status.
Under NDIS eligibility requirements, a person who is not an Australian citizen, permanent visa holder or protected Special Category Visa holder is ineligible for NDIS supports including therapy and equipment.
That means temporary visa holders, including those who've fled conflict in places like Ukraine and Syria, are not eligible for NDIS support if they acquire a disability in Australia.
Children born where neither parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident are also excluded from the national scheme.
The State Government will provide $11.6 million to support humanitarian and skilled migrants and their children with disability so they can participate more fully in the community.
Until now, the South Australian Department of Human Services (DHS) has been providing support to some of those families on an ad-hoc basis.
Today's commitment will ensure this vital work continues and families can access the support they need, including:
- mobility equipment
- daily personal activities
- transport
- therapeutic supports including behaviour support
- help to a participant by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training
- home modification
Today's announcement brings South Australia into line with most jurisdictions in Australia also providing varying levels of support for people ineligible for the NDIS due to residency status.
Support will be accessible to people who are holders of a Temporary Protection Visa, Safe Harbour Enterprise Visa, Non-protected Special Category Visa (New Zealand citizens who arrived after 26 February 2001), Bridging Visa or Temporary Migrant Visa (work or study), as well as children of temporary migrants born in South Australia.
Funding for services provided at this state and territory level enables those who have exhausted all other options to access critical disability supports to meet their disability-related needs.
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Attributable to Peter Malinauskas
The State Government is stepping in to ensure support for our humanitarian and skilled migrant communities, who cannot access disability supports through the NDIS.
This commitment means all adults and children in South Australia with a disability and complex needs can participate more fully in the community, no matter where they or their parents were born.
South Australia is a proud multicultural state, and I think the majority of South Australians would agree this is the right thing to do.
We are sending a strong message to our multicultural community that the State Government is committed to ensuring fair and equitable access to services for all people with a disability.
Attributable to Nat Cook
I formally raised the issue of access to the NDIS for people on visas with Disability Ministers in July 2022. I have actively sought a nationally consistent approach to supporting people with disability ineligible for the NDIS due to their residency status.
I'm really pleased that South Australia is taking this important step to formalise our own state's policy to ensure a consistent approach to supporting everyone in our community with disability and complex needs, because quite simply, without it, the health and safety of some people with disability in our multicultural communities could be at risk.
I look forward to seeing a positive community impact from this commitment which ensures equity and fairness for all South Australians.
Attributable to Zoe Bettison
This is a very significant step for our humanitarian and skilled migrant communities, who cannot access disability support through the NDIS and the right thing to do for our multicultural communities.
The funding ensures all families can access the support they need.
Our goal is to continually support and promote cohesion within the diversity of South Australia's multicultural society, keeping in mind that our forever growing multicultural communities and our children are an integral part of our future as a society and as a State.
