Review Round-Up: 9 August 2023

After another busy month, the Panel met again at the end of July. We spent three full days getting to the heart of the problems of the Scheme, and developing some real solutions for change. As we reach the home stretch, we are diving head first into the big ideas of reform.

Tinkering with the Scheme as it is today will not be sufficient to meet all the future challenges and ensure that it continues to take its place side-by-side with Medicare as one of the outstanding pillars on which the decency and fairness of Australian society stands.

We are now at the point of looking at building on the challenges in the What we have heard report, and take us to the future direction of the NDIS.

What we have heard webinar

In the What we have heard report, we identified 10 key themes and five key challenges that we believe we need to solve in order to restore trust and confidence in the NDIS, improve the experience of participants and their families and ensure that the NDIS is sustainable.

Thank you for signing up for the webinar last month. We were thrilled to see so many of you and to talk about the report. We have published the full webinar online for those who missed it or want to rewatch it. While we couldn’t get to all the questions that came through, we have read through them all.

Planning, housing and supports outside the ecosystem were the main themes raised, along with how we are considering other related reviews. We also heard concerns about potential changes to psychosocial eligibility and unregistered providers. We will be providing comprehensive answers to these questions in our final report.

However, in the meantime, there are two key points to highlight. First, the Panel has already stated a number of times that people with psychosocial disability should continue to be eligible for the Scheme and high needs of this group have been mentioned many times to the Panel. Second, while housing and living were not explicitly highlighted as major challenges in the What we have heard report, the challenges in these areas are very significant and will be addressed.

As we move to building solutions and shaping recommendations, we want to thank those who have responded with their ideas for far - and provide a reminder that it’s not too late to have your say!

Have your say on the future of the scheme

Responding to the challenges

The challenges facing the NDIS did not develop over night and they will not be fixed overnight. At the same time, we need to allow for deep engagement on many of the needed changes and recognise that some very significant changes will need to be phased in over time.

We remain committed to this. Our next big event is happening in Newcastle, where we are holding a ‘town hall meeting’, in the city in which the NDIS was officially launched just over a decade ago. This will be a significant event from the Review’s perspective, as well as an opportunity for us to catch up over a coffee with participants, families and providers. Much has been learnt over the past decade – including from you through this Review.

This event will focus on the participant experience and will be held at the Newcastle Exhibition and Convention Centre on 22 August 2023. We will also broadcast it live for the many people who will not be able to make it in person.

In addition, on the same day, we will be holding a virtual event for providers and intermediaries. The purpose is to hear from the panel about what they have heard and next steps for the NDIS Review. This will be a virtual event only and participants and families will also be most welcome.

We look forward to seeing you there in person or virtually.

Until next time, Bruce and Lisa

Register for the Newcastle ‘face to face’ town hall

Register for the ‘virtual’ town hall webinar

Register for the providers webinar

Upcoming engagements

Your insights through our engagements are informing our solutions for change and shaping our recommendations. Each have a different topic and are aimed at different parts of the disability community.

Register for a virtual event

10 August: Allied Health Practitioners and the NDIS

Allied Health practitioners working with people with disability are invited to attend a consultation session. The NDIS Review wants to hear ideas and thoughts that will enable people with disability and their families to get the supports they need to achieve their goals.

11 August: Start to live my own life

We are inviting young people and their families to join us to consult on a range of supports in becoming more independent.

If you can’t make any of these events, you can still have your say on our online portal until 25 August 2023. This is where you can let us know what you think about the NDIS. Your experiences, ideas and solutions are key to Review.

You can also stay up to date by following us on Twitter.