Early days, but NDIS costs on track
'The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a major, complex national reform — the largest social reform in Australia since the introduction of Medicare,' Social Policy Commissioner Richard Spencer said.
In 2020, when the NDIS is fully rolled out, around 475 000 people with disability are expected to receive individualised supports, at an estimated cost of $22 billion per year.
In a position paper released today, the Commission finds that while it is early days in the transition to full scheme, the NDIS is on track in terms of costs.
'While there are some emerging cost pressures, such as higher than expected numbers of children entering the scheme, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has put in place initiatives to address these cost pressures,' Commissioner Angela MacRae said.
'Given the extraordinary scale, pace and nature of the changes the scheme is driving, we are seeing some big challenges. A key concern is the speed of the rollout and its impact on the experience of participants and providers through the planning process, plan quality and market development,' Mr Spencer said.
'A real challenge is growing the disability care workforce needed to deliver the scheme. As many as one in five new jobs created in Australia over the next few years will need to be in the disability sector. There are unlikely to be enough providers and workers as the scheme rolls out under current policy settings,' Mrs MacRae said.
The paper finds that the NDIA must place greater emphasis on pre-planning, in-depth planning conversations, plan quality reporting, and more specialised training for planners. And governments must set clearer boundaries around who supplies what, so that people with a disability are assured of continuity of service.
'Everyone wants the NDIS to work, but there are challenges to be overcome and work is needed by all governments. Putting the enormous goodwill behind the NDIS into action is needed now more than ever,' Mr Spencer said.
The Productivity Commission's position paper is National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Costs.
People who want to comment or make a submission for the final report, due to be released in September, can do so at pc.gov.au