From: To: Community Affairs, Committee (SEN); Subject: Submission to the Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill 2012 Date: Thursday, 17 January 2013 10:14:54 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.
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being carers reduces our energy and resources making it hard to fight for rights and needs
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no recognition of the carers role either financially or physically. I have given up a profession to be a carer yet my husband has to work incredibly long hours to make up the difference and as a result we get no carers payment.
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little or no support for our children through the education system, due to their intelligence level rather than their need level
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no respite systems suitable for our needs
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incredibly long winded, painful and anxiety ridden process to apply for any assistance including DSP, carers allowance, education assistance etc
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carers allowance removed when the person being cared for leaves home (in our case he needed more care and support as we had to drive to Hobart frequently to assist him at uni, on the phone for many hours through the day, had to offer huge amounts of financial support over and above the norm) this should relate to what the person is doing. Then we can’t reapply when he returns because he has been ‘independent’ and the process is so long winded. -the unfairness of the pension system, very discriminatory, should not have to fight if you have a diagnosed, life long disability, something we had to do so we missed out on a number of years of support because our son was considered ‘intelligent’ -the DSP shouldn’t be means tested, it should be a support payment to recognise the extra needs that have to be paid for by the person who is disabled. If you are blind you are NOT means tested and this is how it should be for everyone (why is it so discriminatory anyway? INSANE SYSTEM!!) -there should be family assistance resources,financial and physical, for help with tasks we can’t get to because we are carers (ie gardening, equipments etc. We have spent a fortune on equipment that has often not been suitable but a resource pool would have helped!) -better schools, purpose designed for our kids needs (there are enough kids like mine who would utilise them) If the USA can do it why can’t we (an example can be seen on Louis Theroux: Extreme Love Series: Autism and on the BBC program
‘Make Me Normal’.)
-A recognition that Australia is shamefully at the bottom when it comes to quality of life for people with disabilities (and completely the opposite for regular people, being at the top!) and doing something about it to make our lives better!SHAME AUSTRALIA! -as a family with family overseas we are no longer in a position to be able to leave Australia for more than 6 weeks because of the new government changes (it used to be 13 weeks! Why change it? Bizarre) because we can’t leave out son behind and he can’t survive without his pension. Our other son wanted to go O/S as part of his studies but isn’t allowed because of this restriction. Why can’t it be individually assessed?
The government have in many ways, not just this one, trapped many people on the DSP into poverty without the ability to save for their own home, travel or move out of home!
The main features of the NDIS that will make a difference to the community are:
More employment of people with disability and less reliance on social welfare, More rights for people with a disability, Less red tape, with planning done locally by people who know their community
The most important services for the NDIS to provide are:
Education support (technology/services/equipment), Support for families and carers, Flexible in-home/outside home respite
I support the introduction of the NDIS.
Because it is a step in the right direction, it can’t get worse, being the lowest listed country for disability support which keeps those on or below the poverty line.
I love my children but they have reached an age where most parents are no longer supporting them financially and yet this is our destiny for a very long time. On top of reducing our household to one income to support five people, this is not recognised at the moment and because my husband earns ‘too much’ I’m not eligible to receive more than the basic carers payment. There is no recognition of the time and money I save the government by being a full time carer. Hopefully the NDIS will help alleviate this, if only marginally.
If it works well (and doest become another standardised Government implementation ,one size fits all program and as such would be a complete waste of money and resources) it will improve the lives of thousands of Australians who all have something to give and offer our communities and who are desperate to belong. In this day and age it should already happen. This is after all the role of any government isn’t it. To improve the lot of its constituents?
It will help people with disabilities and their carers/families to have a feeling of self worth, and empower them to be a contributing part of the community. However, this can only happen if there is education about disability, as currently it is often feared, highly misunderstood and in some cases, bullied and harassed. With public education, this would start to diminish and the wider community would be more accepting.
I agree for my submission to be made public