Warwick disability advocates fight for easier NDIS access

Over the past year, there were only 600 NDIS participants in our region.

MIXED REACTION: A completed Queensland rollout of NDIS has brought up the need for improvement in Warwick.

OVER the past year, 696 Southern Downs residents received NDIS packages but Warwick disability advocates fear many more are falling through the cracks.

New data obtained by Warwick Daily News shows that nearly $400 million has been allocated to the plans of more than 5100 NDIS participants in the Downs region during the 2019-20 financial year, at an average of $77,000.

The figures come after the Federal Government recently announced it had completed the rollout of the scheme across Queensland.

Yet 2016 Census data would suggest there are still many in-need individuals across our region.

According to Queensland Police information based on 2016 ABS data, 1185 Warwick residents with a profound or severe disability relied on carers or assistance.

That number increased to 50,865 when examining the entire Southern region.

Talking to the Warwick Daily News about the government funding scheme, former Warwick and District Disability Support Group chairman Peter Stacy said the NDIS had drastically improved the standard of living in regional areas like the Southern Downs, but complicated applications remained an obstacle for many residents with disabilities.

“NDIS is far better than anything that existed before, but what has a degree of difficulty is using correct wording in applications and applying for the right service,” he said.

“So many people say ‘I don’t understand the language, I can’t fill in the form,

I haven’t got the resources to deal’.

“It is not an easy thing to make a NDIS plan.”

Mr Stacy suggested a community hub for families to seek independent guidance could help improve the Warwick issue.

Southern Downs Wellbeing Support Service co-ordinator Kathy Payne offers NDIS plan management.

She said she had seen the scheme provide a huge difference to the mental and physical wellbeing of those on a plan — with many participants now on their third since the initial 2013 rollout.

While Mrs Payne commended the evolution of the program, she acknowledged regional areas were still in need of more help of accessing services as well as plans themselves.

“My experience is that we have top quality support workers in our area but we don’t always have the range of services that the metropolitan areas do,” she said.

“Participants and people like me have to be very innovative when it comes to helping people meet their goals.”

A NDIS spokesman said the funding was ensuring families had greater choice in support.

“In data recently released by the NDIS, a survey of families in Southern Downs found the scheme is making a real difference to children living with disability, with more than 86% of families surveyed saying after one year in the scheme, the NDIS had improved their child’s development,” he said.

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