Freedom of Information request - Acknowledgement

Our reference: FOI 20/21-0641

GPO Box 700 Canberra ACT 2601 1800 800 110

dis.gov.au

22 April 2021

Jacqueline Softly By email: foi+request-7230-69a444c9@righttoknow.org.au

Dear Jacqueline Softly

Thank you for your request of 14 April 2021, under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) for copies of documents held by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

Scope of your request

You have requested access to the following documents about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS):

“…I understand the NDIA is no longer going to allow participants to directly pay their service providers. I understand this will be done by a company contracted to the NDIA.

Please provide any/all information that supports this policy change: Rationale - what is this move based on? What consideration was given to whether participants wanted this change? What consultation was carried out and any data gathered to support the change. Expected outcomes - what does NDIA expect to achieve? How this change will be monitored, evaluated, reported on. Measures to safeguard the rights of participants and their nominees.

Please also provide any information regarding the contract to do this work including: Who the contractor is. How the contractor was selected. Process, selection criteria, conflicts of interest etc How much they will be paid. Length and terms of contract. Details of their role e.g simply paying invoices provided to them, or a role in judging whether an invoice should be paid? How the contractor role will interface with participants and their nominees and safeguards for participants and nominees. What actions will be required of participants and nominees to make sure providers are paid. What information and support will be given to participants and nominees to enable them to take part in the process.

Any other information relevant to this policy change, contract details and impact on participants and nominees”

Unless you advise otherwise, we will take it that you agree to the names and contact details of NDIA staff being excluded from the scope of your request (that is, the information will be treated as irrelevant).

Processing timeframes

We received your request on 14 April 2021 and the 30-day statutory period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date. You should therefore expect a decision from us by 14 May 2021.

The period may be extended if we need to consult with third parties or for other reasons. We will advise you if this happens.

Charges

We may apply a processing charge to your request and will advise you as soon as practicable if a charge is payable.

Disclosure Log

Information released under the FOI Act may be published on the NDIA’s disclosure log located on our website, subject to certain exceptions.

If you wish to raise any concerns about the publication of information concerning your request, Please contact us.

Further help

Please contact us at foi@ndis.gov.au if you have any questions or require help.

We will contact you using the email address you provided. Please advise if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Officer Parliamentary, Ministerial & FOI Branch Government Division