(Image: Private Media/Tom Red)

Trust has been broken with National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants. People with disabilities are angry and upset with the government’s consistent focus on cost-cutting a system that was designed to improve their lives through independence, choice and control over how they use their funding to live and participate in the community. 

Ahead of a major disability conference taking place today, two key NDIS architects have slammed the government’s handling of the scheme. Former board member of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA, which runs the NDIS) John Walsh said in a prerecorded speech the scheme was a lost opportunity. 

“I can’t begin to express the combination of arrogance, incompetence and power the commonwealth government brought to this — it’s a pretty nasty combination,” he said. 

Inaugural NDIA chairman Bruce Bonyhady said the scheme had lost support. 

“You cannot co-design or sustain a successful system when you’re funda­mentally distrusted by the people you exist to serve,” he said.

Failures date back years, but here are a few of the major ones. 

Focus on participant costs

A constant complaint by the government is that the NDIS is too expensive, with funding packages higher than anticipated. But NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds’ rhetoric doesn’t hold water, as costs aren’t much higher than estimated: 2012 modelling planned for the NDIS to provide care to 441,000 people at a cost of $22 billion a year or $50,000 a person. There are 10,000 fewer people on the scheme than anticipated. Average payments to each participant increased from $39,600 to $52,300 between 2018 and 2020. 

Slow-moving and confusing

A major review released last year highlighted people’s dissatisfaction with the system taking an average of 88 days for people to have a funding package approved, with more than 11,000 complaints lodged in the first half of 2019. More than 1000 people died in 2019 while waiting for their plans to be approved. 

The NDIS is confusing, with several parents of children with disabilities telling Crikey they enrolled in disability support staff training courses to better understand the scheme and how to advocate for their children. 

A toothless watchdog

As uncovered in a series of Crikey investigations last year, the sector’s watchdog, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, is overwhelmed, understaffed and routinely dismisses abuse and neglect, with thousands of complaints going ignored. 

The Community and Public Sector Union said yesterday staff felt guilty for not being able to help participants due to a massive backlog of cases, with more than 400 cases of serious reportable incidents — containing allegations of neglect and abuse — still waiting to be investigated. 

Low-level fraud often goes unprosecuted, with dodgy providers draining the accounts of people with disabilities. While the watchdog can ban companies, dodgy providers rarely face disciplinary action — or simply dissolve and rebrand themselves before sanctions can be made. 

Poor checks and balances

There have been a series of instances of serious abuse and neglect of NDIS participants, leading to the deaths of New South Wales man David Harris and South Australian woman Ann Marie Smith. Simply put, there aren’t enough checks and balances to ensure those delivering services are up to the task. 

Disability staff are some of the lowest-paid workers in Australia, with about 40% working in casual roles. About a quarter leave their jobs in a given year. Many new hires have no disability-related qualifications.

Poorly designed for those with mental health issues

The NDIS is supposed to support those with psychosocial disabilities, including those with mental health issues. While previous community mental health services have been defunded to push people to transition onto the scheme, many are missing out — and only receiving help when they hit crisis point. In 2019, fewer than half of those who had been in community programs applied for the NDIS, and almost a third were rejected.

Cash-grab schemes

The NDIS has tried to lure companies into the specialised disability accommodation market — though this has opened up a “free for all”, with many companies with limited experience in the sector rushing to build homes without catering to specific demands.  

Independent assessments

A major source of distrust was the government’s plan to introduce independent assessments, using assessors with no prior relationship to a person to determine their level of function and funding in short consultations. While the controversial plan was scrapped earlier this month amid uproar from advocates, it damaged the relationship between the government and participants, who saw the proposal as an attempt to slash funding from individuals. 

The NDIS was designed to bring Australia in line with the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It has a lot of positive aspects and has helped many people — but a constant focus on cost-cutting, instead of ensuring companies receiving funding are giving participants bang for their buck, has eroded what was once lauded as a brilliant initiative.