Senator The Hon Mitch Fifield
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES
MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN THE SENATE
Senator for Victoria
Transcript
2HD RADIO NEWCASTLE
BERAKFAST WITH DAVID SUTHERLAND
20 August 2014
7:40am
E & OE
Subject: NDIS Fourth Quarterly Report
SUTHERLAND:
The National Disability Insurance Scheme otherwise known as the NDIS the fourth quarterly report to COAG has just been released and now the report confirms that staff at the National Disability Insurance Agency have put in an herculean effort over the past year to get the initial four NDIS trial sites set up and running. And to tell us a little bit more, we’ve got the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Senator for Victoria, Senator Mitch Fifield. Good morning Senator.
FIFIELD:
Great to be with you.
SUTHERLAND:
And likewise too, thanks for your time.
FIFIELD:
No worries.
SUTHERLAND:
Ok, so tell us a little bit about the report.
FIFIELD:
Well, look, it’s pretty good news. We’ve got one year of the NDIS in the trial sites under our belt. There are now a little over 7,000 Australians with disability who are getting the support that they deserve under the scheme. We’re finding that satisfaction levels amongst participants are very high. And in terms of the budget of the scheme, we’re just about bang on, in terms of where average package costs should be. In the first six months, they were a little on the high side, they’ve come in at about $34,600. And in the Hunter there’s good news, there are about 2,300 people with disability who are now full participants in the scheme.
SUTHERLAND:
From what I understand, it’s pleasing to see the average time it’s taking to determine someone’s eligibility for the NDIS has also dropped.
FIFIELD:
That’s right. That’s come down from 29 days, or a little over in the first six months of the scheme, to a bit over 13 days in the second six months. This is a vast undertaking and you’re right, you pointed to the fact I used the word “herculean” to describe the effort to get to this point. And that’s full credit to the staff of the NDIS Agency. They’re people for whom this isn’t just a job. They know when they wake up in the morning they’re going to be making a difference to the quality of life of people in their communities. And they chomp at the bit to get to work every day to do just that.
SUTHERLAND:
Yeah, it’s all positive isn’t it?
FIFIELD:
It is. You know there’s a lot of negativity about often in Federal politics, but the NDIS is something that is unequivocally good. It has the support of all parties and all governments, State and Federal. There will certainly be teething problems, but that’s the whole purpose of these trial sites.
SUTHERLAND:
Yeah, and it’s better to get out the teething troubles in certain areas and then you’ve got it right for the rest of Australia really.
FIFIELD:
Yeah, that’s right. So the people of the Hunter and Geelong and the other trial sites are assisting us greatly because the feedback that we get from them will help us make modifications before we move to full national rollout.
SUTHERLAND:
Do you have any figures on how many people have actually signed up to the scheme so far?
FIFIELD:
Look, all up nation-wide as at the 30th of June, it’s 7,316. It’ll be a little higher since then, because we’ve had another couple of months. I think it’s just so important that Australians with disability who have been, too often, on waiting lists for the things that they need, now in the trial sites are in a situation where they can get what they need, when they need it.
SUTHERLAND:
What do you have to say to some disability advocates that are worried that the Abbott Government is looking to postpone the implement of the NDIS?
FIFIELD:
Look, we’re certainly not looking for reasons to delay the implementation. What we’re focussed on is ensuring that the scheme is the best that it can be. What we want to do is pursue the timetable that will ensure optimal outcomes for Australians with disability. But you only need to look at the Budget that was handed down not too long ago, where we have the full allocation of funding over the forward estimates. So we’re determined to deliver this and deliver it in full.
SUTHERLAND:
Some concerned residents held a rally in our region yesterday against group home privatisation as part of the NDIS scheme. Their fear is basically that their level of care is at risk under the privatisation, because from what I know, ADHC, the Government funded agency that’s being dismantled to make way for the NDIS, they were accountable to the Government authorities. With the NDIS, how do you monitor the standards of disability care and services once the NDIS is up and running?
FIFIELD:
That’s a good question. There are really two separate things here the decision of the NSW Government to remove itself from the business of direct service delivery, including supported accommodation, and the implementation of the NDIS. The NDIS is, if you like, a voucher scheme where an individual has their needs assessed, they get given an entitlement and they can take that to the service provider of their choice. Historically, the state government has been a service provider. They’ve decided to get out of that. So that is a separate decision. A decision of the NSW Government. Take Victoria for instance, the Victorian government long ago got out of the business of direct service provision. So Victorians have the choice of private providers or not for profit providers and that will also be the case in NSW.
SUTHERLAND:
Right, ok. Because I know a lot of people were fearing that most jobs would be cut back or to part time position or casual work, and then they’d be lowly paid, so that was a lot of the concerns too.
FIFIELD:
As I say, it’s the decision of the NSW government to remove itself from the business of direct service provision. It’s not something that the NDIS required. NSW is really just following what most other Australian governments have done and that’s recognising that governments aren’t necessarily great direct service providers. The important thing at the heart of the NDIS is that the individual will have choice and they can make their selection as to who they want to provide services to them.
SUTHERLAND:
Well that’s good and I hope it goes the way it all is planned to go because people with disabilities are quite often forgotten about in the world we live in today. And it’s good to see that there’s something happening for them and I hope it all goes the way that, as you said, it’s supposed to.
FIFIELD:
The early trends are positive, but we’ve got to be ever vigilant to make sure that the scheme is the best that it can be, and to not be afraid to learn lessons and to make changes when it’s needed.
SUTHERLAND:
And I must agree, sorry, I was just going to say, I must agree with you, it’s great that you’re doing a test run I guess you could say, for lack of better words, to make sure that it is right for the whole of Australia.
FIFIELD:
That’s right. And one of the avenues of feedback is the NDIS Agency’s Independent Advisory Council which is actually in Newcastle today holding a roundtable with local service providers, advocacy groups, state and local government representatives and also meeting with people with disability. And Newcastle’s own Kurt Fearnley is a terrific member of that advisory council. So that’s an avenue today for people to provide their thoughts as to how the scheme’s going.
SUTHERLAND:
Terrific, once again, thanks for your time this morning.
FIFIELD:
Terrific, good to talk.
SUTHERLAND:
Likewise.
FIFIELD:
That’s Senator Mitch Fifield.
ENDS
Media contact: Lydia Bevege | 0409 792 081 | lydia.bevege@dss.gov.au