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Council approved the minutes from the meeting held on 23 August 2021 and noted the matters arising.

1.3. Board Chair and CEO update

Mr Hoffman advised the initial co-design workshop went well, noting an overall positive attitude and willingness to accept the Agency’s genuine intent to work collaboratively with the disability community to improve the Scheme and participant outcomes.

Mr Hoffman advised that the Agency is continuing its efforts to provide continuity of supports and resources to participants and providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Hoffman said vaccination rates of people with disability are still below the community average. The Agency is focused on encouraging participants to receive the vaccine and is currently cross-checking the NDIS database against the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to identify gaps.

Mr Hoffman advised Members the Parliamentary Budget Office released their report on the future budget profile of the NDIS, noting this report largely endorsed the Agency’s own figures. Mr Hoffman also noted the NDIA will soon release the Annual Financial Sustainability Report (AFSR).

The Board Chair reiterated Mr Hoffman’s comments regarding the co-design workshop, saying she was pleased with the genuine commitment to move forward and thanked Members for their contributions.

Members thanked the Board Chair and Mr Hoffman for their updates and continued commitment to open and transparent discussions. Members also acknowledged the efforts of frontline staff during COVID-19, saying they have ‘gone above and beyond’ for participants.

Members raised concerns around thin markets and the heightened impact of this on participant support during the pandemic, noting this does not only affect remote areas.

Council queried the availability of vaccination data for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability. Mr Hoffman in response advised the Agency would have the data, but was uncertain whether this level of detail was included in the AIR, noting once the analysis of the data was complete the information could be shared with Members.

Ms Van Poppel provided Council with further detail around the co-design workshops and the next steps, noting the second workshop would focus more on actions and priorities, rather than an agreement. Ms Van Poppel said that over the coming months, representatives will work with the Agency to identify projects and priorities to progress through co-design.

Action 1: Analysis of the vaccination data to be shared with Members once completed.

2. Members’ Reports

2.1. Council reports on issues heard in their communities

Council Members raised the following concerns they had heard related to the NDIS:

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Ongoing concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on the health, safety and wellbeing of participants
Delays with scheduled and unscheduled reviews, resulting in many plans being extended
Difficulties in accessing home visits for vaccinations, noting some participants are unable to get to vaccination centres
Disability support worker shortages, especially with reductions in workers from migrant and refugee backgrounds or international students.
Concerns with equity in access and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccination program, particularly for those with comorbidities or complex support needs, and groups likely to experience a disproportionate burden of disease
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, especially in rural and remote areas experience difficulties in accessing the vaccine
- Lack of targeted communications to provide safe, in-language, information to counter vaccine hesitancy and inform consent.
Lack of comprehensive data about average plan budgets across disability types, population groups and geography to better understand future funding
Delays with NDIS plan reviews and Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) plan reviews
Concerns around providers, plans and funding for home and living supports, including Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Individualised Living Options (ILO)
- Lack of consistent practice between SIL providers, with some large providers capturing the market profit and small organisations leaving the market due to losses
The need for the NDIA to consider the Australian Infant Communication and Engagement Study as part of its Early Childhood Early Intervention Reset Project
Concerns from some Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) that Council’s membership is not representative of the full diversity of people with disability.

3. ILC

3.1. Information, Linkages and Capacity Building work

Ms redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material provided Members with an overview of progress with the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) program since transition to the Department of Social Services (DSS).

Ms redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material advised that DSS are investigating the broader system of supports for all people with disability to improve outcomes and build capacity for people with disability, their families and carers.

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redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material noted there is little data available on the impact of the programs on participant lives, so further work in this area is being undertaken, including consulting more broadly on future directions of the ILC.

Members thanked Ms redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material for the update, acknowledged the work undertaken on ILC and raised the following points:

The importance of supporting people who are ineligible for NDIS, especially those from diverse backgrounds, through inclusive mainstream services from the ILC Program
Queried whether the ILC program could revert back to NDIA ownership, as highlighted in Council’s recent formal advice recommendations on Scheme Reform
Suggested the ILC and valued sector organisations work collaboratively to deliver supports and services through their membership network
The need to review the funding model for ‘Tier 2’ and ILC, suggesting the option of a dedicated and independent budget allocation to ensure greater funding certainty. In addition, this should include a plan for its investment and be co-designed with Council and disability community representatives
Stressed the importance of bringing back the Local Area Coordination function to its original intent to improve implementation of ILC grants.

3.2. ILC — Council priorities for funding

The paper on Council priorities for ILC funding was noted.

4. Disability Strategy

4.1. New National Disability Strategy

Mr redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material provided Members with an update on the Disability Strategy, noting the name change to Australia’s Disability Strategy (ADS) to avoid confusion with acronyms already in existence.

Mr redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material noted the work undertaken over the last three years to develop the Strategy and thanked Council Members for their contributions during consultation.

Mr redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material advised the Targeted Action Plans (TAPs), developed with states and territories, were a key way to drive actions under ADS. He noted that the establishment of ADS Advisory Council (ADS Council) will also play a significant role in ensuring implementation of ADS. Mr redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material said membership of the ADS Council is still under discussion.

The Principal Member and Members acknowledged the extensive consultative work undertaken on - ADS development, particularly with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.

Council reinforced the importance of good governance processes for ADS Council, noting its membership should be representative all people with a disability.

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Members raised the importance of data, monitoring and evaluation of the past and present Strategy. They stressed that this will ensure accountability against ADS actions, help identify any gaps, and understand whether strategies are actually working for people with a disability and improving their life.

Members were concerned the Safety TAP didn’t address community inclusion appropriately and suggested further work was required before finalisation.

Members advised strong governance and oversight at the state and territory level was needed to ensure successful implementation of ADS, noting that engagement of all Ministers with portfolios related to ADS would be beneficial.

5. Meeting close

5.1. Other Business

Ms Glazebrook provided Council with an overview of the proposed new approach to Council sitting fee payments, noting a trial would be conducted for a period of six months.

Members thanked Ms Glazebrook for her work in this area and looked forward to the trial commencing.

The Principal Member:

advised the DSS briefings on the proposed legislative amendments are being recorded for Members unable to attend. She noted that Ms redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant material is working on Council’s submission and will reach out to Members for input before the submission is lodged on 7 October 2021;
reiterated the overall comments around co-design, noting the importance of hearing the voices of people with Intellectual Disability within the co-design process.

5.2. Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled on 18 October 2021 from 1.30pm-5.00pm.

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