Doorstop Interview
Signing of MoU for NDIS Western Sydney.
Penrith, NSW
19 May 2015
11:30am
E & OE
Subjects: NDIS in Western Sydney
JOURNALIST:
Can you boil it down, what does the NDIS mean for these people and these families?
FIFIELD:
Well for the families in this area, for kids below the age of 18, what it means is that they will be able to access services and supports funded by the NDIS a year earlier than they otherwise would have. And what that means is that early intervention will be available. Aids and equipment will be available. Personal attendant care where that’s required will be available. So there will be significant additional resources and people below the age of 18 will be able to access those earlier.
JOURNALIST:
Minister why are we a year early?
FIFIELD:
The NSW Government made a compelling case that this region of Sydney was ready. That service providers were ready. And also there is some disadvantage in this area and both the Federal and NSW Governments were keen to see the opportunity of the NDIS delivered sooner to this community.
JOURNALIST:
A year into the scheme, trial there were concerns for carers, that they weren’t being listened too, communicated with properly, is that being ironed out?
FIFIELD:
Look there is strong communication from the NSW Government, from the Federal Government and from the NDIS Agency, with carers, with people with disability and with service providers. All those groups are very important to making the NDIS work. But it is really important that even with the advent of the NDIS we make sure that there are still some stand-alone services for carers.
JOURNALIST:
And what about the rollout across the rest of the state and indeed the nation?
FIFIELD:
Well we currently have seven NDIS trial sites around the country with about 11,000 participants. We will be ramping up from the middle of next year through to 2018-19 to 460,000 participants in total. And I am currently in negotiations with each of the states and territories about what the rollout plan with be from the existing trial sites throughout the rest of the state. But where that rollout beyond trial sites is commencing is here in the Nepean, Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains, Lithgow region.
ENDS
Media contact: Lydia Paterson | 0409 792 081 | lydia.paterson@dss.gov.au