Submission 1593

Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill

My name is and I am a Speech Pathologist working in a private practice supporting many NDIS clients. I feel deeply connected to issues within this proposed bill as I have seen the immense benefits that adequate funding can provide, as well as the challenges that both clinicians and families face when trying to work within this system. I live with disabilities not covered by NDIS including Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Endometriosis and spend thousands of dollars a year on specialists and medical costs, so I have an understanding of the financial burdens of having a disability. It is vital that we continue to support the most vulnerable in our society.

My brother is Autistic and as a child I experienced the difference in his life when he and my parents were supported versus lacking support. At 5 years old my brother attended a mainstream school with me. He was severely bullied and could not cope with the mainstream environment due to his disability. These challenges lead to my mother finding him attempting to commit suicide at 5 years old. We were highly fortunate that he was able to move to a school specifically designed to support autistic students without an intellectual disability (something which is extremely rare). Having the appropriate supports in place at school, he went from being highly volatile, violent and depressed to happy. He is someone who would be considered to have “moderate” autism and likely would not receive NDIS support under this new bill, despite the immense challenges that he faced and continues to face. I see similar situations with many clients that I work with and very rarely do they feel that their school is well resourced enough to support their child’s needs. Allied health professionals are a lifeline for many of our parents. We have the opportunity to work directly with them and their child, as well as work with their schools to support them there.

My overall view of this Bill

I have concerns about the changes to the definition of “permanent disability”. These changes appear to add additional burdens to participants and their families to prove that the life-long disability they have been diagnosed still impacts them, and to prove that they have tried all possible treatments. What if some treatments are not available in their area or in some way not appropriate for them? It is exhausting for people with disabilities to constantly be needing to prove their need for support in this way.

I am concerned about children no longer receiving early intervention under the NDIS Scheme. Research evidence shows that early intervention is absolutely vital for any kind of disability or developmental delay. Already, I have seen many clients miss out on the early intervention they need due to extensive waitlists to access the NDIS.

Submission 1593

Children who are needing speech therapy at 3-years old being on the waitlist until 5- years old. This dramatically impacts the child’s ability to participate in school and their life-long outcomes. I am highly concerned about the lack of clear information about Thriving Kids and what this will look like. Due to the fact that Thriving Kids was created to reduce the amount of money the government spends on early intervention, I suspect that not enough support will be provided under the scheme. Children with speech and language disorders or delays, even mild ones, require direct one-on-one therapy by a speech pathologist to reach their goals.

I oppose the reduction in community participation supports. Children and adults with disabilities require support to access the community. Additionally, many mainstream community activities such as sports, art classes etc may not be accessible or appropriate for children with disabilities who require specialised workers that understand them, one-on-one lessons or smaller group lessons. These specialised community activities come at a much higher cost due to increased staff expertise in disability, a higher staff to child ratio for safety, etc. It is absolutely essential that people with disabilities are not isolated and are supported to access the community in a way which works for them.

I am also concerned about new plan review and application processes and the lack of clarity about what this will look like. I am concerned about the possibility of automation as Robodebt has shown us that it is vital for people to be involved every step of the way. Therapists who have worked with a child over many years have a deep understanding of their challenges and needs and should be involved in assessment process.

My position on this Bill

This Bill should be withdrawn and the government should engage in meaningful consultations with disabled people and advocacy groups for the generation of new reforms.

The government should release significantly more detailed information about how the changes will be implemented and how they will affect people before this, or any other NDIS legislation is passed. For example, who can expect to receive reduced plan funding, and what will be the process for the new plan reviews.

The NDIS saves lives. I have deep concerns about the impacts on the thousands of people who are going to lose supports under these new measures. Thank you for considering my submission.

Kind regards,

Submission 1593