NDIS Reform: Bill Shorten Outlines His Intentions Amid Ongoing NDIS Reform

In a recent address to the National Press Club, the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Government Services, Bill Shorten, unveiled his immediate plans amid ongoing NDIS reform, centred on improving the experience, and meeting the needs of, NDIS Participants, long term.

Minister Shorten reassured Australians living with disability that the National Disability Insurance Scheme is here to stay.

“It is not going away…but we do need to get it back on track”.

Minister Shorten also reflected on how the NDIS has changed the lives of hundreds and thousands of Australians with disability and their families. “The truth is, that the NDIS is the difference between a life and a living death for many vulnerable Australians”.

He said the NDIS has saved the disability system from collapse. However, for the NDIS to reach its potential, it needs a reboot.

He explained it’s a joint responsibility of all levels of government to honour their commitment to their citizens with disability and provide them with high quality inclusive healthcare, education, justice, housing, and transport.

Positive Changes Already Implemented

Minister Shorten ordered a review of the Scheme last year but said some changes have already commenced before the final report is to be handed down this October.

• The first and best way to safeguard the integrity of the NDIS is to put people with lived experience into leadership roles. People with disability are now half the Directorship of the NDIA Board. He spoke of a new culture shift already breathing new life into the NDIA.
• Minister Shorten also spoke of the fraud fusion taskforce established in October 2022, where 38 investigations are currently under way involving more than $300 million worth of payments.
• Discharge delays for NDIS participants in hospitals have now been reduced from 160 days to 29 days, saving approximately $550 million in hospital costs.

However, Minister Shorten also acknowledged much more needed to be done.

“As important as these changes are, they’re nowhere near enough. To deliver the outcomes that will change the lives of more Australians with disability and secure the sustainability of the Scheme, we need to deliver systemic reforms” Minister Shorten said.

These, along with Minister Shorten’s comments on each, are outlined below.

Six Key Areas of Reform

1. The NDIA Workforce

• Increase the NDIA workforce and sharpen its specialisation.
• Lift staff caps, return call centre functions in-house, and improve the culture.

“The bottom line is, to improve outcomes, we need to nurture a better relationship between the staff of the scheme and participants … we have to update our systems so that people with disability only have to tell their story, once!”

2. Move to long term planning

• Introduce multi-year plans, which are more flexible and sustainable, to deliver more predictability for all involved.

“Short term planning isn’t working. It’s stressful, debilitating, frustrating and nonsensical that every 12 months or 6 months, participants and their families have to prove that they’re still disabled. Let’s think long term.”

3. Address spiralling costs

• Maximise the benefits for participants of every NDIS dollar spent.

“Supports must be reasonable AND necessary. The underlying goal of any intervention is to reduce the need for support over time and increase participants’ independence in their daily living.”

4. Review Supported Independent Living

• Investigate what is in the best interests of participants in terms of safety, quality. and outcomes.
• Allow people with higher needs to live in their home with a significant amount of help.

“The NDIS Review is already looking at ways to get better home and living decisions for participants.”

5. Eliminate Unethical Practices

• Target the misuse of NDIS funds.
• Increase NDIS staff with the skills to ensure that providers deliver outcomes, and don’t overcharge.

“Let me stress, there are so many great service providers from long-standing not-for-profits to new, family-run, small businesses, but we must say to the untrustworthy providers who make participants feel dehumanised and treated as cash cows – you’re not welcome. You taint the reputations of quality service providers. Your old business models will change”.

6. Increased community and mainstream supports

• Existing mainstream services and facilities like health, education and transport must be more accessible and supportive to foster inclusion and not segregation.
• Invest in community-based programs – sports, recreation, education – and ensure these programs are better integrated in the support mix for NDIS participants.

“When I say increased, it is more a case of mainstream services delivering on inclusion and universal service provision, as they’ve always been meant to do”.

Children’s Autism Pilot

As well as the 6 systemic reforms, Minister Shorten also announced the introduction of a new children’s autism pilot, involving 700 families in Western Australia, to examine whether pre-emptive interventions for children with early behavioural signs of autism could reduce the support they need later in life.

“It could have exciting prospects for future generations and for early intervention mainstream services outside the NDIS, so that NDIS is not the only lifeboat in the ocean”.

Minister Shorten concluded his speech with this reminder.

“Australians support the NDIS because it is lifesaving for people with disability and their families. It’s simply transformative. Our NDIS represents what’s best about Australia. We look after each other and most importantly we look after those who need extra support. The NDIS sees the whole person, not just the impairment. It seeks to empower all Australians to participate in the life of our country on their terms. We are a lucky country, and we should not exclude anyone from that opportunity because of a disability”.