States must fulfil longstanding responsibility to fund ‘foundational’ disability supports

JFA Purple Orange has today endorsed the recommendation of the NDIS Review Final Report to take a more wholistic approach to supports and services across all levels of government to build a more inclusive and fairer Australia for people living with disability.

But this must not come at the expense of fulfilling the original promise of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to provide individualised funding and genuine choices for Australians living with significant disability who have long been shut out of so many aspects of ordinary life in our communities.

Chair of the Julia Farr Association in South Australia, Tricia Spargo, cautiously welcomed the public release today of the Final Report that was handed to governments last month, noting it will take time for the disability community to consider all the 26 recommendations and 139 proposed actions in the Report.

“So many people have invested a lot of time and effort into sharing their experiences and contributing to this Review over the past 12 months, so it is a relief to have the Final Report now, but there is a lot of detail to unpack,” Ms Spargo said.

“It is essential that reforms to the NDIS itself and to services outside the Scheme come together in a wholistic way to improve the experiences of people living with disability and do not just focus on cuts or on shuffling where funding is coming from.

“The absolute focus must be on investing in improving outcomes for Australians living with disability and it is critical that the context for reforms is authentic inclusion in all facets of life. Everyone must be able to access mainstream opportunities and services including for housing, education, employment, transport, and all other elements of living an ordinary life in the community.”

‘Foundational’ supports

The Report highlights the necessity of governments providing ‘foundational’ supports outside the NDIS as part of a comprehensive and coherent ecosystem, but, while the name may be new, this obligation is not.

The Productivity Commission and the original design of the NDIS only intended for a portion of Australians living with significant disability to be eligible for individual budgets and plans. All tiers of government, including states and territories, were always expected to continue to fund disability services and support outside of individual NDIS plans but, instead, many governments have cut and defunded a range of services and supports. 

“The posturing about funding that some states have engaged in over the past week has been extremely disappointing for the disability community,” Ms Spargo said.

“It should not be news to anyone, certainly not any premier or minister, that all tiers of government have a responsibility to properly invest in what the Review panel calls ‘foundational’ supports and that this has been the case since the beginning of the NDIS roll out.

“We welcome this recommendation and look forward to engaging constructively with the South Australian and Federal governments to support them in the design and implementation of these important changes to better support a successful NDIS. We hope the renewed focus on this will have a positive impact on outcomes.

“Likewise, we support the recommendation to invest in and redesign information, advice, and capacity building supports.

“Furthermore, the states, together with the Commonwealth, have also made commitments about mainstream access and inclusion for people living with disability under Australia’s Disability Strategy. It is time for all tiers of government to invest in achieving the outcomes that are essential for turning these commitments into reality.

“When we achieve the Strategy’s intended outcomes, the NDIS will cost less because many more people will be able to access the mainstream services that they are currently shut out of. Inaccessibility, exclusion, and segregation all cost governments money, not to mention causing harm to people.”

Reforms to the NDIS

The Report proposes a range of reforms to how people access and use individualised budgets and plans under the NDIS. The disability community will need time to work through the detail of these.

“The Report makes many recommendations about improving the NDIS and the participant pathway,” Ms Spargo said. “JFA Purple Orange has long advocated for a simpler participant pathway and more flexibility in how individualised budgets can be spent. We fully support a fairer and more consistent approach to decision making. But there is also a lot of detail to work through regarding some of the Review’s specific ideas.

“We have grave concerns about the Report’s approach to a continued requirement to share supports. We had hoped the Review panel would make a stronger statement about the urgent need to transition away from forced shared housing and daily living arrangements and on to more ordinary options based on individual choice.

“There must be an end to quasi-block funding approaches to home and living supports and any false pretences among governments and others that these somehow address isolation and exclusion. Isolation and exclusion should be addressed through genuine support to access community and take up valued roles in community life, not by segregating and congregating people in quasi-institutional living arrangements.”

JFA Purple Orange strongly supports the intent of state and federal governments and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to co-design responses to the report.

“Genuine co-design approaches and open communication must be at the core of how governments work through this Report and design reforms. Change must occur in partnership with the disability community and Australians living with disability must be at the core of all decision-making,” Ms Spargo said.

Consistent funding for independent advocacy

The Report highlights the need for nationally consistent access to independent individual disability advocacy services. This is particularly relevant to South Australia where current funding is inadequate and about to expire.

“Successive South Australian Governments have not provided adequate funding, or, indeed, for many years prior to the tragic death of Ann Marie Smith, any funding at all, to independent advocacy services,” Ms Spargo explained.

“I call on the South Australian Government to immediately respond to this recommendation regarding funding for individual advocacy supports and, indeed, to go beyond it in terms of investing in systemic and peer advocacy as well in line with what states like New South Wales are providing.

“JFA Purple Orange has modelled an estimate of the funding needed in South Australia for independent disability advocacy services at $3.05 million per year. This covers individual, systemic, and representative or peer network advocacy, all of which have a critical role to play in ensuring people living with disability get a fair go.”

Report’s release a milestone but is not the end

Much of the commentary leading up to the Report’s release has created fear and uncertainty in the disability community.

“The tone of some of the recent comments from politicians and of the media coverage has been unhelpful and I hope the Report’s release helps to shift the focus to constructive conversations,” Ms Spargo continued.

“JFA Purple Orange stands ready to be part of this detailed work with governments and the NDIA to achieve the better outcomes we all want.”

“The disability community will not rest until all Australians living with disability are included in our communities and enabled to reach their full potential according to their interests, goals, and genuinely free choices from the same range of options that are available to others.”

 

For further information contact media@juliafarr.org.au