NDIS business for sale on Facebook, Gumtree shine light on broken system: Julie Cross

For $52k you can secure an off the shelf NDIS business. No questions asked. This is just part of the nightmare reality of a broken disability scheme, writes Julie Cross.

Is it any wonder that the NDIS is full of spivs and shonks when any Tom, Dick or Harry can buy a registered NDIS business on Gumtree or Facebook?

For as little as $45,000 you can secure an off the shelf NDIS business. No questions asked.

Most right-thinking Aussies would think that being “registered” offers some sort of security or protection for our most vulnerable.

But all it means is that you have the right paperwork and policies in place.

And, if you haven’t written those policies because someone else has – or even read them – no matter. The sellers certainly don’t care.

The vast majority of NDIS providers are unregistered. All they need is an ABN. Literally everyone and anyone has been invited in to have a go.

But for those who want access to participants with the highest needs – and their million-dollar-plus plans – the federal government insists they need to be registered.

Surely, being able to buy one off Gumtree makes a mockery of that process.

Yes, eventually registered businesses have to undergo an audit down the track.

But they’re flawed too, according to our whistleblowers, who claim that many auditors are poorly trained and out of their depth.

Many don’t understand the proper process, allowing providers to choose which participants and sites get audited.

And, they don’t always have to attend an inspection in person.

In fact, many disability homes are audited “virtually”, which is mind boggling.

Providers who are not confident in passing can hire coaches that offer a 100 per cent guarantee. They prepare everything, including a question and answer cheat sheet.

Corruption is also rife.

So, if that’s our safety net, no wonder we’re seeing some awful things happening inside disability homes.

One auditor says she has come across staff using EpiPens on someone having a tantrum, unreadable medical notes, drugs spread across the floor and people living in filth.

This is the nightmare reality of a broken disability scheme, which lacks robust regulation and safeguards.

Originally published as NDIS business for sale on Facebook, Gumtree shine light on broken system: Julie Cross