Delivering on the promise of the NDIS: Stuart Robert’s Plan
On 14 November the Honourable Stuart Robert MP, Minister of the NDIS and Minister for Government Services, released his plan to deliver the final 20% of the NDIS. He announced the plan in a speech at the National Press Club in Canberra.
The Minister recognised that while the NDIS is changing lives, the roll out of the scheme has been difficult. He stated that delivering the final 20% of the plan will also be challenging. The plan intends to, in Robert's words, put the NDIS 'onto a business as usual even keel for the long term.’
Image from the NDIS
The NDIS plan has six core ‘swim lanes.’ Each swim lane covers a different issue and seeks a specific outcome. Here is a summary of the six swim lanes and some of the promised actions for each one:
1. Quicker access and quality decision making
This swim lane focuses on improving the quality of service, especially around wait times. Planned actions include:
Resolving backlogs and delays through the new NDIS Participant Service Guarantee. This will set new service timeframes for NDIA service delivery.
Providing a single point of contact for participants, and encouraging longer duration plans. Longer plans benefit providers as well as participants because it will be easier to budget.
Commencing the national roll out of joint planning meetings and the provision of draft plan summaries. The co-design of plans will ultimately lead to better plans and outcomes for participants.
2. Increased engagement and collaboration
The second swim lane is about addressing inequality in the NDIS. There is an emphasis on providing more support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The main measure is the expansion of the community connectors program for these groups.
3. Market innovation and improved technology
This swim lane is about delivering a seamless ICT experience for participants and providers. Planned initiatives include:
Developing Application Programming Interfaces to enable integration with the NDIA Business System.
Enabling a Digital Market Service which will support the development of a vibrant digital market.
Growing the current NDIS Workforce and finalising a national NDIS Workforce Strategy. There was no mention of the number of staff needed to roll out the plan.
4. A financially sustainable scheme
This swim lane is about making the scheme sustainable by integrating it with other mainstream service systems. The Minister has promised:
The COAG Disability Reform Council will meet every 90 days to ensure the NDIS operates effectively with other mainstream service systems.
An NDIS Reserve Fund will be established from the accumulated cash currently in the NDIS.
5. Equitable and consistent decisions
The fifth lane focuses on addressing current inconsistencies regarding decision making. The planned changes could be extremely beneficial for participants and include:
The implementation of independent functional assessments from 1 July 2020. These will be paid for by the NDIA.
The removal of the distinction between core and capacity building. This will enable plan funding to be used flexibly so participants can spend more of their budget.
Extending plan duration even further so reviews are only initiated in line with significant life milestones.
6. Improve long term outcomes
The final swim lane is about improving outcomes in areas such as employment and housing. Planned measures include:
Implementing the NDIS Participant Employment Strategy. While this strategy is great and will ensure employment is a priority for the NDIS, change also needs to come from employers.
Implementing further recommendations around SDA such as allowing eligible SDA participants to live with families or friends who are not SDA eligible.
Seeking to reduce the number of younger people in residential aged care.
The NDIS plan will guide the scheme over the next 12 to 24 months and beyond. The Minister stated that there will be a flexible approach to its implementation. There will be guidance along the way from people with disability, their families, carers and other stakeholders.
The plan is welcome news and shows there are exciting times ahead for the disability sector. It is promising that the Government has listened to feedback about the NDIS and are striving to improve the scheme. While there is a strong vision behind the plan, its success will depend on effective implementation. It will be interesting to see how the NDIS changes over the next 2 years with the plan.
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