The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will be a new support system for people with a disability, their families and carers. It will transform the way services are funded and delivered, ensuring people are better supported and enabling them to have greater choice and control.
This will work in a similar way to Medicare, where people pay a portion of their salary which is then used to fund support for people with a disability. This will be self directed funding meaning it will be given to people with a disability and their carers to control.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of SA & NT supports the premise of a NDIS. A campaign, Every Australian Counts, is underway to gather support. Their goal is to make sure the Federal Government accepts the recommendations of the Productivity Commission and commits to introducing a NDIS.
- The support system for people with a disability, their families and carers is in crisis. If you, or someone you love, is born with a disability or acquires one later in life, you all run the risk of falling through a huge hole in Australia’s safety net.
- People with a disability and their families and carers want to participate in the social, economic, and cultural life of the nation. But there are many barriers to their full inclusion.
- Lack of support and services means families are primarily responsible for meeting the needs of their family member with a disability. Many families are struggling with high rates of physical, emotional and financial stress.
- The current situation is inequitable – people receive different levels of support depending on how, when and where their disability was acquired.
- An economic crisis is looming. The number of people with a disability is increasing and the number of people willing and able to provide unpaid care is falling. This means the cost to government is expected to escalate dramatically in the future.
- A National Disability Insurance Scheme would provide people with a disability and their families and carers with the regular care, support, therapy and equipment they need. As a Medicare-type scheme, it would provide a secure and consistent pool of funds for these services and support.
- It would be fair, efficient and effective. It would focus on early intervention and delivering those supports which produce the best long term outcomes. It would maximise opportunities for independence, participation and productivity.
- It would be individualised and person-centred. Support would be based on the choices of person with a disability and their family.
- The scheme would reframe support as investment rather than charity. Timely interventions, appropriate aids and equipment, training and development would become investment in individual capacity rather than welfare. The scheme would therefore lead to more positive results for people with a disability, their families and carers as well as being fiscally responsible.
- All Australians would benefit from this scheme because disability can affect anyone, anytime. Everyone will benefit from building a more inclusive, more diverse community.
Source http://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/about/ten_reasons_why_we_need_an_ndis/
- Join the campaign www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au
- Spread the word – speak to your friends and family about the campaign
- Meet your federal member and recruit them to be a supporter of the Every Australian Counts campaign.
In Australia, the job of our elected Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives is to represent the interests of everyone in their electorate. They are your voice in Parliament.
We want the Federal government to introduce a fair, effective and sustainable system, one that places people with a disability and their families at the centre and gives them greater choice, control and flexibility.
There are six ways your MP can support the campaign for the NDIS.
Ask your MP to:
- Display the every Australian Counts logo on their website.
- Write to the Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition telling them that people in their electorate support the NDIS.
- Raise the need for the NDIS in Caucus, or the Party Room, and inform other MP’s of their support.
- Give a speech or table questions in Parliament.
- Let the electorate know they are standing up for people with a disability through the media or at public events.
- Have a photo taken to show they count\
For help and hits with recruiting your local MP, a tool kit has been developed and is available on the Every Australian Counts Website.
Please visit http://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/talking-to-mps-about-the-ndis-tool-kit/ to learn more. |
