Bureaucratic NDIS ‘letting disabled down’

THE  NDIS is bogged down in bureaucracy and inconsistencies, and is “the same old system”, according to a warning letter to its managers.

THE  National Disability Insurance Scheme is bogged down in bureaucracy and inconsistencies, and is “the same old system”, according to a warning letter to its managers.

Samantha Jenkinson, a campaigner for the NDIS through the group Every Australian Counts, spent months collecting examples from hundreds of Australians who had been let down by the scheme.

The stories, she said, should be heard by the scheme’s independent advisory council chair­woman Rhonda Galbally and, in turn, the chairman of the NDIS board, Bruce Bonyhady.

“Over the last two to three months there have been an ­increasing number of negative stories about the NDIS from trial sites,” the letter says.

“A dedicated discussion page on Facebook with over 2000 members have been sharing their direct experience, or the experiences of those close to them, from a number of trial sites.”

Despite positive stories about the NDIS, Ms Jenkinson outlined complaints of those who felt “worse off”.

The letter cites planners delivering inconsistent packages for people with the same needs, people being forced to accept options from a “menu” and a focus on the “medical model” of intervention rather than lifestyle support.

“I am sure that the Senate inquiry will bring many of these ­issues to light,” the letter says. “There is real concern, however, that the core principles of choice and control have been eroded in a bid to keep costs down and fit packages into predetermined templates.

“Much of the feedback has been on the interpretation that planners make of guidelines and the medical model focus of planners who, for example, focus on therapies rather than community activities with therapeutic outcomes. The average cost of people in the NDIS trial sites has fallen since they launched in South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and NSW last year.”

Ms Jenkinson told The Australian she saw the main problem as being “cultural”.

“We need to get the old system out of our heads,” she said. “There have been people who weren’t getting support who are now, and that is brilliant, but there is a very real concern the NDIS is just going to be more money without changing the culture.”

In March, a review into the NDIS found its introduction had been rushed in a manner like “a plane that took off before it had been fully built and is being completed while it is in the air”.

A spokeswoman for the agency responsible for the NDIS said it was aware of the letter and the ­“issues raised … are all under consideration ... as a part of our commitment to building ... a world-leading disability system”.

“We are just one year into a six-year rollout, and the Independent Advisory Council is a key part of the governance of the NDIS in ensuring that those with lived experience and carers are the expert advisers in the development of the scheme,” the spokeswoman said.

“People are at the heart of the NDIS and each participant’s plan is tailored to that person’s needs. The scheme is being rolled out at trial sites so it can be carefully evaluated, and feedback ... can be considered and acted upon.”