Member update: 2019 Review of the NDIS Act and NDIS Participant Service Guarantee

Background

The Australian Government has asked for an independent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (the NDIS Act). This will also include a review of the NDIS Rules. A Participant Service Guarantee will be developed as part of this review.

While many participants have had positive experiences with the NDIS, other people with disability have experienced frustrations. NDIS participants, their families and supporters, advocacy groups and providers of disability services have told the government that some aspects of the NDIS do not meet their expectations. For example, how long it takes to get an NDIS plan, the planning process, getting a plan review and decisions made about their plans.

The review will focus on opportunities to make the NDIS process simpler and more straight forward. It will also remove barriers to positive participant and provider experiences with the NDIS.

The review will consider what changes may need to be made to the NDIS legislation to support the Guarantee and set new standards into law. This may involve amendments to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (the NDIS Act) and the NDIS Rules, but will not change the design or intent of the NDIS.

The Australian Government has appointed an independent expert, Mr David Tune AO PSM, to lead the review.

The review’s recommendations are due to be delivered to the Government by the end of 2019, to support the roll out of the Participant Service Guarantee on 1 July 2020.

How can you be involved?

It is important that people with disability, as well as their families and supporters get involved and share their experiences with the NDIS so we can advocate for change. so we can fix the problems.

You can have your say by:

Contacting QDN to inform our submission.
Completing a survey online. This will be available from 9 September. QDN will keep members updated.
Making a written submission.
Attending a face-to-face community workshop in Queensland.

The survey and a discussion paper will be available in a variety of languages online so you can print them out, fill them in, and send them back to NDISConsultations@dss.gov.au or post them to:

NDIS Consultations
Department of Social Services
GPO Box 9820
Canberra ACT 2601

More information and resources will be available over the next couple of weeks, QDN will keep members updated. Responses to the survey and the discussion paper will be accepted until the end of October.

If you choose to fill out the survey, you will be asked questions about your experience with the NDIS. For example:

The time it took to get a plan or review
How you felt about the decisions made during your plan or review
Whether you received enough information
How decisions were communicated to you

The face to face consultations will include questions on specific issues. For example, some participants, such as those needing assistive technology, home modifications, specialist disability accommodation, and other services requiring a quote or further approval as part of their NDIS plan have experienced particular frustrations.

The consultations will help find solutions to those issues.

If you choose to make a written submission, you can read the discussion paper and then tell us about any aspect of the NDIS that you have concerns about.

All responses – survey, face to face and written submissions – will be considered as part of the NDIS Act review and the development of the Participant Service Guarantee. No personal information is being sought as part of this consultation process.