Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Submission to the Inquiry on NDIS Workforce
This submission is directed towards the terms of inquiry, specifically (b.) and (c.) The
submission will address rural challenges, training needs, remuneration, working conditions
and working environment.
This submission draws on the findings of a research project conducted in 2019 at the
University of New England, Faculty of Medicine and Health. This research was part of an
Honours Thesis titled “Changing nature of the disability workforce under the NDIS in rural
areas: Impacts for disability support workers” by Melissa van Leeuwen in conjunction with
the supervisor team of Dr Stuart Robertson and Dr Erica Russ.
The project was a small scale study with a rural emphasis that was undertaken in the New
England/North West region of NSW and focused on the disability workforce operating under
the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The research considered issues such as
employment status, exacerbated travel times in rural communities, unpaid expectations of
care, communication, funding, training and supervision and work environment satisfaction.
The study found that respondents were concerned about working conditions and constraints
in NDIS funding and the impacts of these, not only for workers, but for NDIS participants.
Age and gender were also examined, as the evidence suggests that the disability workforce is
a highly gendered and ageing workforce (National Disability Service [NDS], 2018) and
women are nearing retirement age at a time when the industry is needing to attract more staff.
Approximately 70% of the disability workforce is female (NDS, 2018), which was reflected
in the research, with 69% of survey respondents indicating they are female. Of the survey
respondents, 32% were in the 45-54 years age category, and as the average retirement age for
women in Australia is 52.3 years (ABS, 2017), this will add to the current challenges in
expanding the workforce.
Due to the geographical dispersion of rural areas, travel time is a factor that can adversely
impact disability support workers, with 50% of the survey respondents indicating they are
required to drive their own car for work purposes, and a further 35% reporting they are
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sometimes required to drive their own car. In addition, only 37% of the survey respondents
who state they are required to drive their own car are reimbursed for kilometres travelled, and
56% state they are only sometimes reimbursed. With 32% of survey respondents indicating
they provide support services to NDIS participants in areas outside where their local office is
based, this has the potential to financially disadvantage disability support workers in terms of
out of pocket costs, exacerbated wear and tear on personal vehicles, and excess travel
kilometres.
A recurring issue identified by survey respondents was experiences of unpaid work time. Of
the survey respondents, 52% reported they are not allocated paid worktime to complete
mandatory paperwork that is a disability sector requirement for quality assurance purposes
(Wark, Hussain, & Edwards, 2015). Some organisations allocate paid worktime, however, a
survey respondent from an organisation that does stated;
o Staff are allocated 10 minutes to complete all their progress notes, regardless of
the number of clients in their care. As a result, notes are completed at lunch and
after work
This example demonstrates that ‘wage theft,’ defined by Macdonald, Bentham, and Malone
(2018) as underpayment of wages, overtime violations and break time violations is taking
place within this research population.
A further example of unpaid worktime is 76% of the survey respondents reported they are not
paid for a comprehensive handover. Additionally, 82% of survey respondents reported they
often felt obligated to work past rostered hours, and 43% of these respondents reported they
are not paid overtime. Appropriate handovers are necessary for participant safety purposes,
and as 32% of the survey respondents indicated they work more than one shift per day, and
30% indicated they sometimes work multiple shifts, this suggests that 62% of survey
respondents could be late for their next shift if they are not allocated paid work time for an
appropriate handover. For disability support workers in rural areas this is even more
prevalent, given the likelihood of longer travel time between participant homes. If appropriate
paid work time is not allotted to mandatory tasks, this can exacerbate the potential for vital
information not being passed on in a timely manner. With disability support workers engaged
in multiple and successive short shifts, it is essential that paid work time be allocated to tasks
such as mandatory paperwork and comprehensive handovers to ensure the safety of NDIS
participants. This also reflects the need for the NDIS pricing structure to be flexible and
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responsive to participant needs and ensure disability support workers are correctly
remunerated.
Communication and confusion were identified as issues when interacting with the National
Disability Insurance Agency with particular reference to job roles and job expectations. A
point of concern is the impact this confusion is having on NDIS participants, as one survey
respondent stated:
o too many changes, one week we are told to do something and then the next we are
told no its not in guidelines… No training no buddy shifts with new customers
especially those with challenging behaviours. No meet and greets and there is no
money for this so many colleagues along with myself walk into our first shift with no
real information on that customer
Consistent with previous studies, Cortis et al. (2017) contend that the NDIS pricing structure
is damaging the quality of support services and not providing suitable funding for appropriate
communication between NDIS participants, supervisors and disability support workers.
This is indicative of another issue found by the research, limited team meetings and lack of
training opportunities. Survey respondents reported team meetings are taking place less
frequently, and 55% indicated their dissatisfaction with this. Furthermore, 69% indicated that
adequate staff training opportunities are not being provided since the transition to the NDIS.
Most survey respondents indicated limited and inflexible NDIS funding as the reason for the
infrequent meetings and minimal training, as one survey respondent stated:
o …there has been no training since the role [sic] out of the NDIS, less staff
meetings and everything comes down to the dollar
This suggests a direct correlation between funding issues and organisational abilities to
provide appropriate supervision and relevant training opportunities to their staff. Other survey
respondents expressed concerns regarding staff being hired without relevant qualifications,
for example:
o …organisations are accepting people due to lack of numbers in staff or high
numbers of participants needing support…leading to workers not efficiently
being trained in dealing and supporting people with complex needs
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The need for correctly trained staff when working with NDIS participants is crucial to their
health and wellbeing and is vital to achieving the goals outlined by the NDIS.
Many of the survey respondents expressed concerns with NDIS funding, stating the funding
was inadequate and inflexible, and had direct impacts for their work with the NDIS
participants they support. The inflexibility of the NDIS pricing structure also directly affects
staff being remunerated correctly. An example is a respondent who stated:
o My contract is for 46.6 hours. I am paid for 60.8 hours. I work an average of 20
hours per fortnight unpaid due to workload but NDIS does not allow sufficient
funding to cover true hours worked
Furthermore, it does not allow for last minute changes to the roster initiated by the
participant, consistent with current literature (Cortis et al., 2017).
o The client can cancel or change their support whenever and how ever they
like, and our companies no longer have the resources to pay the support
workers if the client cancels at short notice
Funding gaps in the NDIS pricing structure, such as ‘funding for on costs’ are also identified
by the survey respondents, and rostering of extra staff when necessary was noted as an issue:
o Before the NDIS if a client was displaying violent behaviours of concern, they
could put on an extra staff member to assist but now they have to justify why
and apply for the funding
Moreover, this is in line with inherent caring characteristics demonstrated by disability
support workers, as their concern is not only for themselves, but also for the NDIS
participants they support, as one survey respondent stated:
o …it is much harder to get the customer to see specialist…due to the lack of
funding
This highlights issues of inequity for NDIS participants in receiving appropriate funding
packages, and while this could be attributed to the planning stages of the individual
participant packages, it highlights a need for appropriate training across all levels of staff
employed under the NDIS.
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Lastly, the primary purpose of the research was to ascertain if there were high rates of
casualisation in the disability sector working in rural communities. There is documented
concern for the health and wellbeing of workers who are employed in a non-standard
capacity, such as casual employment, including little guarantee of future employment and
receiving no leave benefits or paid sick leave (McGann, White & Moss, 2016). The research
determined that when compared with national trends of casualisation found in the literature
(Cortis et al., 2017; NDS, 2018), the rates of casualisation within the research population
were minimal, and there were higher numbers of permanent part time staff. Of the survey
respondents, 29% reported they were employed in a casual capacity, compared with 46%
nationally (NDS, 2018). The NDIS commenced its rollout in the New England/North West
region in July of 2016 (Australian Productivity Commission, 2017), and as 30% of survey
respondents reported having only worked in the disability sector for less than three years, it is
likely those jobs were created to accommodate new NDIS participants. However, it is of
interest that of those 30% of survey respondents that are relatively new to the industry, 56%
indicated they were employed in a casual capacity. This supports findings from previous
research (Cortis et al., 2017) and is inline with predictions from the NDS (2018), that
casualisation is increasing in the disability sector.
Overall, the principles that underpin the NDIS have generated a marketised environment, and
while the introduction of individualised funding packages is invaluable to participants,
funding shortfalls in the NDIS pricing structure have created barriers for organisations and
disability support workers. The shortage of labour standards within the NDIS is perpetuating
poor working conditions (MacDonald et al., 2018), and the tensions created between
marketisation and labour rights need to be regulated. This illustrates the need for workforce
regulations to be embedded in public policies such as NDIS, and will ensure disability
support workers are correctly remunerated, well supported and will assist in attracting new
staff to the sector.
If further information from the research is required, or if you require a copy of the thesis, we
would be happy to provide it, as well as discuss any further aspects.
Yours sincerely,
Melissa van Leeuwen
Bachelor Social Work Student
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University of New England
Dr Stuart Robertson
B. Soc. Sci PhD
ACWA
Member, New England Institute of Healthcare Research (NEIHR)
Lecturer- Community Services
University of New England
Dr Erica Russ
B. Soc. WK., Grad. Cert. ASWP, PhD
Lecturer, Social Work and Community Services,
University of New England
AASW Member 467937
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2017). Cat no: 6238.0 - Retirement and retirement intentions, Australia, July 2016 to June 2017. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6238.0
Australian Productivity Commission. (2017). National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
costs, study report. Canberra.ACT.
Cortis, N., Macdonald, F., Davidson, B., & Bentham, E. (2017). Reasonable, necessary, and valued: Pricing disability services for quality support and decent jobs. (SPRC Report 10/17). Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW Sydney.
Macdonald, F., Bentham, E., & Malone, J. (2018). Wage theft, underpayment and unpaid work in marketised social care. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 29(1), 80-96. doi:10.1177/1035304618758252
McGann, M., White, K., & Moss, J. (2016). Labour casualization and the psychosocial health of workers in Australia. Work, Employment and Society, 30(5), 766-782. doi:10.1177/0950017016633022
National Disability Services. (2018b). Australian Disability Workforce Report, July 2018.
Deakin West, ACT
Wark, S., Hussain, R., & Edwards, H. (2015). Assisting individuals ageing with learning
disability: Support worker perspectives. Tizard Learning Disability Review, 20(4),
213-222. doi:10.1108/tldr-02-2015-0008
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