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Vulnerable Australians forgotten in race to reopen
In January 2021 the Commonwealth government released its COVID-19 vaccine rollout strategy. The plan prioritised those most likely to be exposed to COVID-19, and importantly those most likely to become ill and die from the disease – a sensible approach, similar to many jurisdictions around the world.
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Why the Federal Government’s story about NDIS funding differences doesn’t add up
New data about NDIS costs has been released by Minister for the NDIS Linda Reynolds and the NDIA in the last week or so. Here’s our quick analysis on what the Federal Government is getting wrong in its story about well-off people with disability in the cities getting more funding than people in rural and regional areas.
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Onwards We Go!
There’s been collective sighs of relief in the aftermath of Independent Assessments being ditched. Now, let’s get on with the real business of making the scheme work and the EAC community are 110% focused on what really matters.
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You did this! NDIS compulsory assessments have officially been dumped
Last Friday, Minister for the NDIS Linda Reynolds met with each of the state and territory Disability Ministers, to ask them to support her plans for the biggest changes to the NDIS since it started – including compulsory ‘independent’ assessments.
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Explainer: What changes to look out for in the NDIS Amendment Bill
What are the top 5 big issues we can expect to see in the new NDIS legislation? We’ve all heard plenty about compulsory assessments – but what other changes to the NDIS are going to be hiding in there? Our friend Chadwick – who is a Senior Solicitor from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre – has very helpfully written an explainer to try and make it as easy as possible for people who are not experts in law to understand.
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“Stop independent assessments. Sack the CEO. Sack the Board.” Catch the blistering NDIS speech from disability advocate Kevin Stone
“The NDIA is at risk of turning people with a disability and families, who have been the Scheme’s greatest supporter and most important ally, into a desperate and angry enemy.” Kevin Stone, the highly-regarded intellectual disability advocate has delivered a blistering speech on the NDIS – calling not just for independent assessments to be scrapped – but also for the NDIA CEO and Board to be sacked. Watch the video, read the transcript – or join the fight here.
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Are the proposed Independent Assessment tools capable of informing funding decisions in NDIS participant plans?
What’s wrong with NDIS independent assessments? We asked our friend Muriel Cummins from Occupational Therapy Australia’s NDIS Taskforce to help explain why the selected assessment tools are not fit-for-purpose, and why they should not be used to determine plan funding.
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Terms of engagement for NDIS Minister Reynolds from the disability community
Disability advocates today delivered new NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds a formal ‘terms of engagement’ in a bid to reset relations between the NDIA and people with disability, their families and community.
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Your chance to speak at NDIS independent assessments hearings
The Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS is currently holding an inquiry into NDIS independent assessments. The committee wants people with disability and families to make 5-10 minute statements at their upcoming hearings. Here’s how you can get involved.
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NDIS compulsory assessments paused – but the fight for the NDIS is far from over
Many thousands of people with disability, family members and supporters have spoken out in recent months about their fear and anger about the planned changes to the NDIS. Today we have SOME good news from the federal government – but there is still a long way to go.
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Joint media statement from disability advocacy organisations on NDIS assessments
We welcome reports that NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds will pause a plan to force people with disability to submit to compulsory assessments to access support, but want to see much more detail about what that means for the future of the NDIS.
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I quit my job with the NDIS in protest against independent assessments
“We are not being listened to and I have had enough.” Carl Thompson has just quit his job as an NDIS Local Area Coordinator out of anger and frustration with the National Disability Insurance Agency.
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Proposed changes to NDIS intervention for autistic children
The NDIA’s latest consultation paper on autistic kids is about more than early intervention like the title suggests. It proposes rigid and fixed funding blocks for children’s NDIS plans, well below averages in Nick Avery’s region. Nick wants you to know why this consultation is so alarming – and encourages you to provide feedback.
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NDIS Autism consultations are “futile and frustrating” – this new consultation is a case in point
Late yesterday afternoon on Stuart Robert’s last day as NDIS Minister, the NDIA released a new consultation paper called “Interventions for children on the autism spectrum”. The paper proposes radical new changes to NDIS funding and supports for Autistic children. Katharine Annear explains why this consultation paper has Autistic people outraged.
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A list of the online news about NDIS compulsory assessements
Your concerns about changes to the NDIS are being heard. On March 11 the disability sector released a joint statement of concern. Since then the media about our community’s concerns hasn’t stopped. It has been hard to keep track of – so we are putting all the links together here to help make it easier.
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Making noise on NDIS compulsory assessments – MPs, Senators and the media
We really made some noise! More than 4,000 of you have spoken out against NDIS compulsory assessments using this website. 100+ organisations have endorsed the Joint sector statement. Our elected representatives are hearing our side of the story. And hundreds of thousands – if not millions of people right across the country have heard our calls through the media. Together our voices are stronger. And together we are making a lot of noise.
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An Open letter to Minister for the NDIS Stuart Robert
Dr George Taleporos thought long and hard about accepting the NDIA’s invitation to take part in the pilot of the new NDIS assessment process. He understands why everyone is concerned about the introduction of these new compulsory assessments and all the changes to the NDIS planning process. But in the end he hoped he could make a difference by providing detailed feedback about what the process was like. But now with the assessment complete George has a message for the Minister for the NDIS. And that message is stop – and come and talk to us about what should come next.
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Disability sector statement on the Australian Government’s planned reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
People with disability, their families and the organisations that represent them are all worried about changes the Australian Government wants to make to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
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NDIA announce compulsory assessment contractors three days after closing submissions
More breaking news from the NDIS this morning…
This time about the new compulsory assessments.
The NDIA have just announced the organisations who have been contracted to carry out the assessments when they start later in the year.
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“My NDIS ‘Independent Assessment’ was a nightmare”
“As an autistic person this petrifies me. The NDIS assessors don’t want to hear outside the boxes of ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I can only imagine how bad this will be for people who can’t articulate their needs well. We need to fight and make ourselves heard.”
Aaron Carpenter volunteered to take part in the pilot of the new “independent assessments” being introduced to the NDIS later this year. His experience was a “nightmare”. He wants everyone to know what went wrong – and why we can’t let this go ahead.
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Last minute backflip from NDIS on Support Coordination
Breaking news out of the NDIS this morning …
And it is not good. Not good at all.
Buried in an announcement about the end of some of the changes made to the NDIS as a result of the COVID19 is the news that participants will NO longer be able to buy or top up Support Coordination out of their core budget.
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NDIS needs reform but flawed assessment model requires more work
Michael* hasn’t showered or changed his clothes in three weeks, but when the National Disability Insurance Scheme independent assessor asked him how much difficulty he had washing his body, getting dressed and eating, he replied: “None.”
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The politics of distraction…
We’ve all been worried for a while now about what changes were going to be made this year to the legislation that governs the NDIS.
Well yesterday the Minister for the NDIS Stuart Robert gave an interview on talkback radio in Sydney – and let slip some of what he has planned.
And in the process pretty much confirmed what we were all so worried about.
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New inquiry into NDIS assessments
The Joint Standing Committee have just announced they will hold an inquiry into the use of independent assessments in the NDIS.
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