WA National Disability Insurance Scheme: Disabled community fears being disadvantaged
Posted
A grassroots group of people with disabilities is calling for assurances they will not be worse off under a state model of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Earlier this month, the State and Federal Governments agreed to begin final negotiations on a deal for WA to operate its own version of the NDIS.
Trials have been undertaken of both the federal version and one based on the existing WA model of disability service delivery, with localised decision making and block funding.
The State Government presented its preferred model to federal Social Services Minister Christian Porter in October, but people within the disabled community in WA are concerned it does not place them at the centre of the scheme.
One mother from Cockburn in Perth's south who has taken part in the WA trial with her two young sons said she was extremely disappointed in the model.
"It hasn't been what I thought it would be and it definitely hasn't been what I heard people ... with the proper NDIS have been given," she said.
"I was under the impression that you would be able to review things if it didn't work, but so far there's only been an annual review offered.
"There's also less money handed out. Because I self-manage our funds I'm given a limit of $25 per hour to pay for support workers, which often means going for unqualified workers."
Mother in 'battle' to help deaf son
The woman — who did not want to be named — has a degenerative neurological disorder, while her nine-year-old son has autism and her seven-year-old is deaf.
She said she had struggled to get her youngest son's deafness recognised so that he could receive access to sign language lessons.
"Because he can speak and he does use cochlear implants to access sounds, it's been a bit of a battle," she said.
"[The Disability Insurance Commission] are of the opinion that he's not deaf — and it took me three months to convince them that he was."
She said the State Government needed to listen to those involved in the trial.
"I don't know a single disabled person who has been in this trial zone who has been asked for their opinion. I don't think we're being taken seriously," she said.
"I want them to listen and make this work for us, not for them."
WA Government urged to 'come clean'
A meeting of people from across the disabled community is being held tonight to discuss their concerns.
Samantha Connor, a disability advocate and spokesperson for community group #nodisadvantage, said West Australians held real fears they could end up with the worst system in the country.
"We're the only state that hasn't signed up to a federal NDIS and we want to make sure that we're not disadvantaged compared to other Australians," she said.
"Nobody has seen the proposed model.
"They're saying we're going to take out the best bits of both schemes, so we're saying show us your best bits and put them out on the table so that people can actually have a look at it and say look, this is going to work for us, this is not going to work for us."
However Premier Colin Barnett stood by the state-based plans.
"We will have the full rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Western Australia by July next year," he said.
"So eligibility, entitlements, transferability, all of those things will be absolutely consistent with what happens elsewhere in Australia.
"The one difference is that we will have a local degree of management, so that people with a disability, particularly people with say an intellectual disability, will have the support of someone on the ground locally."
Topics: disabilities, federal-government, federal---state-issues, states-and-territories, perth-6000, wa
