Submission to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012

From: To: Community Affairs, Committee (SEN); Subject: Submission to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 Date: Saturday, 19 January 2013 12:12:52 AM

Please consider this email a formal submission by me to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012.

The current disability system has many problems that need to be addressed.

It doesn’t work because of the inequities in the system.

The main features of the NDIS that will make a difference to the community are:

• More opportunities to participate in the community,
• The ability to receive services when needed and in the way that suits the person,
• Older parents and families will not worry what happens when they can no longer provide support

The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:

• Recreation and community access,
• Support for families and carers,
• Accommodation options

I support the introduction of the NDIS.

In our ‘fair go’ society, it is only right that people with disabilities should be looked after without consideration of how the disability arose. I, along with many of my friends, find it very unfair that two people with similar problems can in one case be looked after by insurance while the other is left to fend for him or her self, albeit with some modicum of help from various government agencies. It reminds me of the situation on medical insurance before the government introduced universal health insurance in the 1970s.

I have no close family involvement with anyone with a disability but I have contact with a number of families where members have a disability and the coverage of their needs is shoddy. Most of these situations arose either through an accident without insurance coverage (quadriplegia after an accident in the surf, although quadriplegia in a car accident would be covered by third party insurance), genetic defects, and problems arising from unusual or rare medical conditions (e.g. a stroke at age 4 resulting in a situation that requires life-long care - that person now being in their mid 30s).

There are some things about our society that make me proud and a comprehensive NDIS is a once in a generation opportunity to build on that. I hope it is not too trite to say that it is in our treatment of the disadvantaged that our nation should be judged. DON’T LET US DOWN!!!

I agree for my submission to be made public

Regards, Mr John Levy