The Minister for the NDIS, the Hon Bill Shorten MP, announced the Review on 18 October 2022. All Australian governments agreed to the Review.
The Independent Review Panel
So who are we? We are the Independent Review Panel. We have two co-chairs:
- Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM has spent more than 30 years working to improve the lives of people with disability. He brings an extensive understanding of the design of the scheme. Bruce was the first Chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
- Ms Lisa Paul AO PSM is a former senior public servant with experience in complex social policy reform. She chaired headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation until 2021.
And five panel members:
- Ms Judy Brewer AO is a high profile speaker, writer and advocate on issues relating to education, autism, and family carers.
- Mr Kevin Cocks AM is a recognised leader in the human rights and disability field.
- Professor Kirsten Deane OAM was the Campaign Director of Every Australian Counts, the grassroots campaign that fought for the introduction of the NDIS.
- Mr Douglas (Dougie) Herd has worked for more than 30 years in disability advocacy, disability advice and service delivery in Scotland and Australia.
- Dr Stephen King who is a Productivity Commission Commissioner with expertise in human service delivery models.
We will bring all our experiences and expertise to the Review. But we will also always be guided by the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–31 and the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Our Terms of Reference asks us to look at how the NDIS can be improved. You can find the Terms of Reference at the end of this paper. If you want more information about the Review you can find it on our website.
What will the Review look at?
It is now 10 years since the NDIS was introduced. Now is a good time to look at how well it is working for participants and their families.
We know the NDIS has been reviewed many times already. We also know that you have voiced your concerns many times before, and haven't always been heard.
We have now been given the task of reviewing the scheme and coming up with ways to make sure the scheme works well for everyone who depends on it. We want to make sure that people with disability really are at the heart of the NDIS. To do that, we want to work with you to unpack the problems areas and come up with solutions.
The purpose of this paper is to let you know what we will do and how you can get involved.