18 July, 2012
97.4 The Pulse Local Radio Station Geelong
With Denis Scanlan
18 July 2012
10.00am
E & OE
Subjects: National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Disability Forum with Sarah Henderson
DENIS SCANLAN:
You’re right on time there Mitch, very good. Mitch, tell us about the disability scheme. How does it, or how would it work?
MITCH FIFIELD:
It’s one of the surprising things in Australia today, that if you have a disability, the level of support that you get isn’t determined by your need. It’s determined by how you acquired your disability. So if you’re in a car accident in Victoria, you receive pretty good long term care from the TAC and if you’re in a workplace accident, workers compensation generally looks after you. But if you’re born with a disability or you acquire one later in life, then you’re subject to a state-based system of rationing. What that means is waiting lists for wheelchairs, for aids and equipment, waiting lists for supported accommodation. The idea of a National Disability Insurance Scheme is that you would be assessed and you would get what you need, when you need it.
DENIS SCANLAN:
That’s great. Now you’re up there at Karingal. A lot of those people around you from Karingal Mitch, they’ve had a disability since birth. So that’s a very apt place to be having this forum.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Absolutely, and they do a terrific job. I’ve met with them before but they, like many organisations who support people with disability, want to do better. They do well with the limited resources that they’re provided with. But we live in a first world country, we live in a wealthy country, and we shouldn’t have a situation where an eleven-year-old kid for instance, has to wait a couple of years to get a wheelchair. So the idea of the NDIS is that an individual would get an entitlement which they could then take to the service provider of their choice, like Karingal. They would be in charge of their own support, they would be in charge of determining who and how that’s provided.
DENIS SCANLAN:
Of course Mitch, we must realise those people at Karingal and a lot of other disabled people, it’s only an accident at birth that they’re in this situation, isn’t it?
MITCH FIFIELD:
Absolutely. It’s a lottery for many people as to whether they have a disability or not, but it’s also a lottery at the moment as to whether you get decent support or not. The lottery is how you acquired your disability. It shouldn’t be like that.
DENIS SCANLAN:
Mitch, at the moment you’re the opposition. Now to get this going obviously you’ve got to get the government or will you approach the government about trying to get this or make this a goer?
MITCH FIFIELD:
This is an area where both Government and the Opposition agree. There should be a National Disability Insurance Scheme. Sarah Henderson, who is running for Corangamite, she is a very passionate advocate for the NDIS and that’s why I’m in Geelong today, to join with her and Michael Ronaldson to have a public forum on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Also, there’s a very strong push from Geelong and from Sarah that Geelong be one of the launch sites for a National Disability Insurance Scheme. It’s going to be trialled in a number of launch sites around the country, and there’s a very strong push from Sarah for Geelong to be one of those launch sites.
DENIS SCANLAN:
So there’s a real possibility Mitch that this will really be a goer?
MITCH FIFIELD:
It should be. People with disability and their families have had to wait far too long to get the support that they need. The Government did in the budget announce $1 billion towards a National Disability Insurance Scheme, and that’s a good thing. But that’s only about a quarter of the funding which the Productivity Commission recommended was needed to get this scheme up and running. So I’m certainly asking the question of the Government as to where they’re going to find the additional money for this scheme.
DENIS SCANLAN:
Ok Mitch, thanks very much. We’ll let you go. The forum commences at half past ten; it’s a really good one, we’re very close here at this radio station to our friends in Karingal. Thanks for your time this morning Mitch.
MITCH FIFIELD:
Thanks very much, good to chat.