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News 16 August 2021

A scientific calculator with a background of handwritten mathematical formulas

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.

News 27 July 2021

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.

News 14 July 2021

"Thank you" written over the top of a blurry background showing a map of Australia and an email. Photos of each of the state and territory Disability Ministers. Text underneath reads "Tell the state and territory Disability Ministers to help stop changes to the NDIS." Every Australian Counts.

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.

Opinion 30 June 2021

Close up photo of a print out of the NDIS Act. There is a red pencil on top of it. Some words are crossed out. 21 is written next to the crossed out 2013.

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.

News 18 June 2021

A large loudspeaker below a speech bubble that reads "We will not be bought off." Kevin Stone AM, Inclusion Australia & VALID. Every Australian Counts. Hands off our NDIS.

“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.

Opinion 16 June 2021

Two giant purple elephants in Sydney Harbour behind the Opera House which is in ruins

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.

News 30 April 2021

Joint media release and Terms of Engagement. 29 logos.

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.

News 20 April 2021

Photo from inside a conference room showing the backs of some people facing and speaking to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS who are seated at a table in the background.

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.

News 15 April 2021

Collage of photos showing people with disability and families and supporters holding the palm of their hand out toward the camera to signal 'stop'.

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.

News 15 April 2021

Media release: Australian Autism Alliance, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, Children and Young People with Disability Australia, Disability Advocacy Network Australia, Every Australian Counts, First Peoples Disability Network, Inclusion Australia, National Ethnic Disability Australia, People with Disability Australia, Women with Disabilities Australia, Young People in Nursing Homes Alliance, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4), Blind Citizens Australia, Brain Injury Australia, Deaf Australia, Deafblind Australia, Deafness Forum of Australia, Down Syndrome Australia, National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum, Physical Disability Australia.

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.

Opinion 14 April 2021

Carl Thompson, a man using a wheelchair in his living room. He has a sticker on his chest that he has modified so that it reads "I loved NDIS" instead of "I love NDIS"

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.

Opinion 13 April 2021

Photo of two young children running away from the camera outside in the grass.

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.

Opinion 31 March 2021

Screenshots of the NDIS consultation paper on early intervention changes for Autistic children

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.

News 30 March 2021

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.

News 25 March 2021

Blurry Parliament House with a Zoom window floating in front of it

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.

Opinion 23 March 2021

A letter addressed to NDIS Minister Stuart Robert. In bold it says "We need to talk about NDIS assessments."

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.

News 11 March 2021

Joint statement: Australian Autism Alliance, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, Children and Young People with Disability Australia, Disability Advocacy Network Australia, Every Australian Counts, First Peoples Disability Network, Inclusion Australia, National Ethnic Disability Australia, People with Disability Australia, Women with Disabilities Australia, Young People in Nursing Homes Alliance, Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia (A4), Blind Citizens Australia, Brain Injury Australia, Deaf Australia, Deafblind Australia, Deafness Forum of Australia, Down Syndrome Australia, National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum, Physical Disability Australia.

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).

News 26 February 2021

Logos of the winners of the NDIA’s ‘independent’ assessment tender. A faint WHODAS assessment. Logos: Outlook Matters Psychology, Innovative Rehab, Pain NT, Konekt, Rehab Management (Aust) Pty Ltd, Access Care Network Australia, IPAR Rehabilitation, Advanced Personnel Management (APM), HealthStrong, Allied Care Group.

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.

Opinion 26 February 2021

Still frame from one of Aarons NDIS assessment videos on Facebook. There is a play button over his face. He is resting his mouth on his hand. He's wearing headphones.

“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.

News 25 February 2021

Man doing a backflip in front of a sandstone building.

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.

Opinion 23 February 2021

An older man, a wheelchair user sits at the end of a kitchen bench looking into the distance. There is a fire hydrant on the wall behind him, and blurry bread and butter on the bench in the foreground.

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.”

News 5 February 2021

NDIS Minister Stuart Robert speaking on Sky News with his eyebrows raised. There are red herring fish floating around over the top. Text at the bottom reads "Stuart Robert Government Services Minister".

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.

News 18 December 2020

NDIA CEO Martin Hoffman and NDIS Scheme Actuary Sarah Johnson appearing before a Senate inquiry. Senator Jordon Steele-John appears by video link.

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.

News 1 December 2020

Front cover of the NDIS consultation paper Access and Eligibility Policy with independent assessments. A mockup checklist saying to remove lists A, B, C and D with independent assessments. In the background is the front of an NDIS office building.

It’s the end of the dreaded NDIS Access lists

In the last week the NDIA have released a mountain of paper about the planned introduction of compulsory assessments to the NDIS.

We’ve already looked at what the new assessments will mean for planning in the NDIS. Now let’s look at what they will mean for people applying for the scheme for the first time.