National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Submission 287

My name is Ariane Minc and I am an accredited AASW social worker. I currently work for NSW Health but I am writing this as a private citizen. I have been a social worker for almost 40 years with extensive experience working directly with clients/customers in many different areas including Social Security (now known as Centrelink), Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Sexual Health, Alcohol and other drugs and Criminal Justice. Many of my clients are aging and so I also have insight into that area. I guess it would be fair to say that I have an overview of different sectors and how they overlap including housing.

As a social worker, I am guided by three core values - Respect for persons, social justice, and professional integrity. With that in mind, I am writing to tell you of my utter distress regarding the NDIS. The way it was set up was flawed and doomed to failure from the outset it seems. This is a tragedy because people living with disability deserve quality of life as does every person. However, the NDIS has had a knock-on impact on other sectors and become a money grabbing business for most of the people involved in its operations. The Government has a history of outsourcing, and it is disastrous. There are clear examples of this such as the axing of the Commonwealth Employment Scheme in favour of multiple job providers who work the system to make a profit for themselves. The unemployed are NOT better off and it becomes an abuse of taxpayers’ money.

When I speak of a knock-on effect, the aged care sector is a case in point. That sector is crying out for money and workers – but there is a shortage of workers because it is more economically viable to work for the NDIS than in aged care – because of the disparity in “wages”. In NSW public Health it is difficult to attract occupational therapists because they can earn much more money in a private business writing functional capacity assessment reports for the NDIS that may cost a potential NDIS recipient almost $2,000 – and then once you are a recipient and need more reports for your review, these are funded by the NDIS. To see the duplication and waste of money is distressing.

Unfortunately, there is only so much money to go around and it riles me to see it being mismanaged at the expense of the welfare of Australians. I also see how the Australian States want people on the NDIS because that is Commonwealth funding – and then less for the State to spend, so there’s that too! Vital State Government services are being eroded.

I have clients who are recipients of the NDIS, I have clients who are employed as NDIS support workers and I have at least one client who is both a recipient and a worker. I observe the inequity and see how recipients understandably try to get as much money for themselves as they can - BUT there need to be fair and equitable limits – so that other people don’t do without (like in the aged care sector). If you are smart or from a particular demographic or have good help, you will get a better package. How is that fair? It’s about quality of life – yes – but within reason. We need to balance the needs of all Australians. When I see what some of the clients are receiving and how the money is spent, I am alarmed, especially when others are getting pittance or can’t get access.

The oversight and regulation are lacking. In addition, there are unscrupulous NDIS workers who over charge because the way the system has been set up is flawed. As for whole sex work debacle – that is a distraction. All NDIS recipients should have a discretionary amount of money e.g. $1000 per year that they can spend how they want – you could audit it to see what they choose to spend it on out of curiosity – BUT if they need to spend it on sex workers SO BE IT. Let’s not be judgemental.

SO PLEASE SORT THIS MESS OUT FOR ALL OF US.