Critical work to take financial pressure off the $42 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme will begin with a new federally funded strategy to develop and deliver more disability programs outside the scheme. Source: The Australian.
Amid new concerns that the cost of the NDIS could blow out to $125 billion a year by 2034, the Albanese Government has committed $11.6 million over two years to its “foundational supports strategy” to help the nearly four million Australians with a disability who aren’t NDIS participants, including fast-growing numbers of children with autism or developmental delay.
The new strategy will flesh out the commitments made at December’s national cabinet meeting for governments to provide more disability support outside the NDIS in mainstream settings such as school and childcare.
National cabinet was responding to the final report of the NDIS review, which late last year called for more support for disabled people outside the scheme as a key to its financial sustainability.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth will lead the work in consultation with NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, with the new foundational support strategy to be considered by national cabinet in the second half of the year.
Ms Rishworth said parents, families, carers, the disability community, and researchers would be consulted.
“Foundational supports are too often not accessible for people with disability, and certain cohorts face unfair hurdles to reaching the support they need,” Ms Rishworth said.
“This strategy will address the gap between NDIS and non-NDIS systems, prioritising the need for responsive services that allow all people with disability to fully participate in their communities.”
FULL STORY
Albanese government to flesh out new scope of disability supports outside NDIS (By Stephen Lunn, The Australian)
