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AVI SSUES IES ave NORTHERN | Department of
into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and ok TERRITORY | THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL
@M sovernment | AND JUSTICE
Exploitation of People with Disability
SUBMISSIONS OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVERNMENT TO THE
ROYAL COMMISSION INTO VIOLENCE, ABUSE, NEGLECT AND
EXPLOITATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY
1… The Northern Territory Government (Territory) acknowledges the important work undertaken by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Commission).
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The Territory is committed to supporting people with disability.
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The Territory wishes to note the efforts of all persons who assisted the Commission to understand the various issues facing Territorians with disability. This includes Territory agency witnesses and others who have been involved in the substantial work involved in responding to numerous Notices issued by the Commission, giving oral evidence in Public hearings, and participating in Roundtables.
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The Territory acknowledges that improvements are needed to better support Territorians with disability including in relation to:
i. experiences of and interaction with the criminal justice system; ii. access to culturally safe services including in rural, remote and very remote Territory communities;
iii. opportunities to engage in meaningful and supportive employment; and
iv. the experiences of First Nations children with disability in out of home care.
- The Territory has put people with disability at the centre of policy and program development with the implementation of the Northern Territory Disability Strategy 2022 — 2032? and the first Northern Territory Disability Strategy Action Plan 2022
- 2025.3 1 Specifically Public hearings 4, 5, 8, 11, 15, 16, 19, 25, 27 and 31. 2 See NTT.0002.0013.0257. 3 See NTT.0002.0013.0225.
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SUBMISSIONS OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVERNMENT
6. The Territory has legislated to raise the age of criminal responsibility in the
Northern Territory which will impact positively on some children with a disability including First Nations children.
- The Territory remains committed to working closely with the Commonwealth and other states and territories to support the transparency of the National Disability
Insurance Agency's management of the NDIS and to further facilitate the
involvement of people with lived experience of disability and the disability sector, in the development of policy responses to address the stresses impacting Territorians with disability.4
8. The Territory looks forward to continued participation in the work of the
Commission and careful consideration of the Commission’s final report and recommendations in due course. This will include a review by the Territory of the Disability Services Act 1993 (NT) and other legislation, which will be informed by the Commission’s final report and recommendations.
4 The Territory’s commitment in this respect is set out in the attached letter from the Hon Ngaree Ah Kit MLA, Minister for Disabilities (NT) to the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, dated 28 June 2022.
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Parliament House GPO Box 3146
State Square Darwin NT 0801
Darwin NT 0800 Telephone: 08 8936 5590
It was a pleasure to attend the recent Disability Reform Ministers Meeting (DRMM) in Melbourne. There was a positive vibe and passion to deliver important change to better the lives of those living with disability across Australia.
EE, work is being finalised on the Norther Territory’s first
Disability Strategy (the Strategy) and Action Plan with a pending release date in the next six weeks. The Strategy will put people with disability at the centre of Northern Territory Government policy and program development, and promote access and inclusion across the Northern Territory.
For the Northern Territory, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has provided opportunities for growth in the disability service provider sector and more people with disability being able to access funded supports, some for the first time. NDIS participant rates continue to increase in the Northern Territory. As of 30 April 2022, the Northern Territory had 4,855 NDIS participants with 50 per cent identifying as Aboriginal, compared with 5.7 per cent nationally. A further 6.5 per cent of participants identified as culturally and linguistically diverse.
However, the process of transitioning to the NDIS and delivery of the full scheme has come with challenges and continues to require a rigorous concerted effort by both of our governments and Territorians with disability. There continues to be a number of issues
preventing the NDIS from being fully realised. | am setting out key issues for the Northern
Territory, noting that a number of these issues are due to unique and significant service delivery challenges in remote and very remote parts of Australia.
eSe NORTHERN
OFS TERETORY
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Service delivery for remote and very remote Aboriginal communities:
o NDIS participants in remote and very remote Aboriginal communities in the
Northern Territory face extra vulnerability due to a thin market for services and some participants have no choice but to relocate to regional centres away from their community and family. o Participants in very remote communities are accessing smaller proportions of their allocated plan budgets, which can be attributed to fewer available services in these communities. o Nationally the average proportion of allocated budgets is 71 per cent, in East Arnhem it is 38 per cent. o There is an urgent need for the development of different approaches to a remote model for the NDIS, as a one size fits all approach does not work. There needs to be a focus on place based tailored solutions for the NDIS in remote and very remote communities. A model that will allow NDIS participants to remain on country and receive the disability supports they need. o The NDIS can be a key economic driver, upskilling and creating employment opportunities for community members already living in remote communities, who are already providing disability support for family members.
Access and sustainability: o Access to the NDIS and sustainability of the NDIS for participants in the Northern Territory is difficult and often distressing, further disadvantaging Territorians who are living in remote and very remote geographical locations. o Cost drivers in the Northern Territory relate to our unique demographics and include thin markets; remoteness; the additional complexities of cross-cultural service provision; and systemic disadvantage. o The core NDIS principles of choice and control cannot be achieved without first delivering on access and equity for all NDIS participants regardless of where they . live.
Decrease in funding allocated to NDIS packages: o Reductions in NDIS plan allocations in the last six months have been reported by service providers as impacting on hours of community access, allied health and daily living supports that can be paid for by participants’ plans.
Legal services to appeal reductions in plans: o Participants in the Northern Territory have no avenues for legal representation for appeals to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, since the funding for NDIS appeals was exhausted earlier this year. o Urgent funding is required to deal with the immediate crisis to ensure that people with disability have access to NDIS Appeals advocacy and legal representation. o There has been an increase in the number of people disputing decisions made in NDIS plan reviews, however, NDIS advocacy and NDIS appeal services, are experiencing a 30 per cent reduction in grant funding from the Department of Social Services which will require the organisations to self-fund or cut back some of their NDIS appeals service. If NDIS plans are reduced without the opportunity for a review, Territorians are at risk of losing crucial supports they need to participate in community life.
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Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA):
o There has been a progressive decrease in the number of NDIS participants in the Northern Territory with SDA being included in their plans. There needs to be effort made to work with providers, NDIS participants, and their guardians and carers to ensure a sustainable SDA market is established in the Territory.
o The Northern Territory Government has been releasing land blocks to the market for the express purpose of SDA development. These initial small steps will hopefully build momentum to see innovative housing options for NDIS participants in the Territory.
Women with disability escaping domestic and family violence: o Feedback from service providers advise that they have seen an increase in the number of women with disability accessing their services, including safe houses. One of the central interface issues is the ability for these women to bring their NDIS supports with them to the service to ensure appropriate, person centred supports are provided.
| look forward to discussing these matters with you in further detail.
Kind regards
NGAREE AH KIT
28 Jog fz022