Submission 818
Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill
I am a disability support worker and personal friend of current NDIS participants.
I have been working as a disability support worker under the NDIS for over 6 years. I currently work with adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism in a group based day program.
Prior to this role, I worked both as an employee and a sole trader to provide 1:1 support in the homes of clients with severe, permanent, physical disabilities. My main two 1:1 clients had both opted to disengage with their previous registered providers due to negative experiences, and a lack of choice and control - they instead preferred to engage with unregistered providers who they could hire directly.
The Bill: Whilst I agree with some proposed changes, my main concerns with the bill are around the loss or reduction of supports, loss of choice around who provides supports, and the reduction of community participation.
Concern 1: Mandatory Registration
“Mandatory registration will be expanded to all providers delivering higher risk supports. All providers delivering supports to participants who are most at risk of abuse and/or exploitation will need to be registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards
Commission (NDIS Commission).”
Whilst I appreciate that there are many unregistered providers out there who are not doing the right thing, the majority of negligent or questionable practices I have witnessed have been whilst working for large, NDIS registered organisations.
One of my clients has been expressing a lot of concern and distress about the possible impact this change will have on her, as all of her current support workers are unregistered sole traders who she has selected and trained. She has had many traumatic experiences with larger, registered support providers and is afraid that she will be forced to go back to that system.
Submission 818
Being a sole trader, working one-on-one with a client has allowed me to provide a much higher standard of support. Whilst working for providers I would often be told to cut corners, or disregard the preferences of my clients.
In my opinion, the problem has little to do with being “registered vs unregistered” but more about some problematic ideas that people may be bringing to the industry. There are definitely a lot of untrained, opportunistic people that have seen that they can become a “support worker” very easily and charge the full NDIS rate. I personally do not charge that rate as I see the full rate as being for companies who have higher overheads. I keep my charges in line or slightly above the award to compensate for additional insurance, super, etc.)
Perhaps instead of trying to eliminate unregistered providers, who are often providing a better service, the NDIS should focus on changing the rates that individuals are allowed to charge?
If this system of mandatory registration is passed into law, how will it look? Will it be the same as the current registration system or will it accommodate the differences in business models between a sole trader and a large organisation?
Concern 2: Cuts to Social and Community Participation
“From 1 October 2026 budgets for social, civic and community participation supports will be reset so spending levels are on average in line with 2023 levels and more consistent with other systems. The reset will include:
- Budget allocations for social, civic and community participation supports will be reduced by 50 per cent. ”
In working with clients with both physical and intellectual disabilities, I have seen first hand how important these supports are to people’s quality of life. What alternatives will be set up for people who lose this funding but lack informal supports to access the community? Will they be left to sit at home and suffer social isolation due to their disabilities?
I understand that there are a lot of providers operating now who see “community access” supports as just an easy pay day. They do not engage with their clients, or they are only interested in “fun” shifts where they get to take the client out to a movie and get paid. This isn’t the type of support I am talking about. I agree that something needs to be done to stop bad support workers from draining people’s funding without providing adequate, enriching, support. How do we solve the issue of bad support workers,
Submission 818
without punishing the clients who really do rely on these social and community based supports to live a decent life?
Many people with intellectual disabilities and Autism can physically go out on their own but lack the ability to interact safely with the general community. Having a good, engaged support worker around allows them the ability to experience life and socialise. For the majority of my clients who fall into this category, their “community access” support shifts are the highlight of their week. For some of them, it is the only time they get to spend out of the house without their family members, and have free choice over what they do with their time.
On the other hand, many clients with complex physical disabilities really can’t go out on their own without a support worker. They often need assistance with toileting, reaching things, communicating or safely moving around a world that isn’t necessarily built with accessibility in mind. Should they have less access to meaningful human experiences than the rest of us?
Other feedback:
I think there are some positive changes proposed in the Bill. I agree that access to the scheme should not be based solely on diagnosis, but on functional capacity. That being said, it is essential that the way that functional capacity is assessed is fair and holistic and encompasses the whole experience of that person. Many people can have daily/monthly variations in their capacity and this should be reflected in the way it is assessed.
I also think that automatic plan renewal is a positive change.
To close: I would like the committee to understand that people with disabilities are not a financial burden, but a valuable part of our society. Please consider the impact these changes may have on the very real lives of people with disabilities. Please talk to people with disabilities and hear what they have to say.
Thank you