NDIA Accountability Project

Waiting for individual support package after 3 years

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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: Thursday, 27 December 2012 4:44:33 PM

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.

My wife has had an application for an individual support package for coming up 3years in Feb 2013. We are still waiting for this. There is insufficient funding. We have to be happy with reissue wheelchairs and a low level of quality of life due to the fact that I gave up work to be my wife’s full time carer.We have no close family in Australia and although council care is available it is not individualised enough to be satisfactory. So it is a case of waiting to live a life of dignity when one knows there are not sufficient funds. Going through application after application when nothing happens. This is extremely discouraging and demoralising making one feel LESS of a person instead of as Australia always says it cares Australia must now SHOW it cares.

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

  • Ensure support and equipment is available when needed,
  • People with a disability can choose the types of support to use,
  • Better access to mainstream support and services,
  • More rights for people with a disability,
  • People with a disability can plan their lives and pursue their goals and dreams,
  • People with disability can choose who comes into their home,
  • The ability to receive services when needed and in the way that suits the person,
  • Increased ability to coordinate services to suit the “whole” person/family,
  • Minimising the number of times people have to tell their story in order to get support,
  • Less red tape, with planning done locally by people who know their community,
  • Access to reliable information about support options,
  • People with disability/family will influence the types of support and services offered

The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:

  • Therapy and allied health services,
  • Equipment and home/vehicle modifications,
  • In-home care and domestic assistance

I support the introduction of the NDIS.

There is no doubt that the NDIS would allow the families of those who are disabled live a fuller life of dignity and far better care. Instead of so much of ones pension going on therapies there can be extra support for these very necessary treatments that will vastly increase quality of life and significantly lower stress in these families. Adequate support and easy communication at a earlier time in the disabled persons life would result in less cost instead of ‘crisis management’ when situations in homes become desperate. Australia out your money where your mouth is. Stop the talk and the long delays in introduction of the NDIS. We need it desperately.

I agree for my submission to be made public

Regards,

Mr Alain Berthelot