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

Submission 36

I am writing about the proposed changes to the NDIS legislation.

I am the representative for my husband and daughter’s NDIS plans. The NDIS scheme has enable me to set up the supports that were necessary to improve their capacity and keep our family going. We were a family in crisis when I set up their supports, and now, with the assistance of the NDIS funding, hey can live fulfilling lives and manage their affairs and maintain their mental health. We are very grateful for the assistance that they receive from the NDIS.

I am worried that the proposed changes will result in us not being able to utilitise the funding effectively to meet their needs. I engage support workers privately, who are a great “fit” for our family. They can be more flexible in their schedules and the way that they work to support my daughter’s complex needs, compared to support workers employed through an agency. For instance, I arrange training that is specific to my daughter’s needs, alongside her allied health professional team. I had tried sourcing support workers through a number of agencies initially, as that is less administrative work for me, but the benefits of arranging it all myself far outweighed the convenience of using an agency. When it comes to my family members’ support needs, as with many people with disabilities, choice and control is so very important. We have seen our daughter’s progress since I engaged private support workers, and it is amazing how far she has come in that few years. I want the focus to be on choice and control and I believe the proposed changes puts this at risk.

I am also concerned that the new legislation states that funding and review decisions made by NDIA planners cannot be appealed. This change does not make sense to me at all, as the planners are people who can make mistakes. The decisions that are made have a significant and tangible impact on vulnerable people’s lives. It is imperative that those decisions can be appealed, to ensure that plans are suitable for participants. I have been in the predicament before where my daughter’s plan was not appropriate for her needs, with some categories missing entirely, and a category included that was not applicable to her circumstances.

I ask that the changes be considered to focus on choice and control, and accountability for decisions made by the NDIS.

Thank you for your time.