PM Announces Start Date of NDIS
19 April 2012 at 3:36 pm
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced that Stage One of the National Disability Insurance Scheme will start mid 2013 – but the PM has stopped short of revealing where the scheme will start.
The PM made the announcement in Perth today where she was visiting a pre-school with Community Services Minister, Jenny Macklin. (Video of the PM’s speech can be found here.
National NDIS campaigners, Every Australian Counts says the announcement comes on the eve of rallies across Australia next Monday.
EAC coordinators say the rallies will call on the Federal Government to identify where the scheme will start as well as pressing to have the governing body – National Disability Insurance Agency legislated and provided with substantial funding.
Last week at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, the PM welcomed the commitment of State and Territory Ministers to the principles that will guide the design of a National Disability Insurance Scheme.
COAG says the principles recognise the shared responsibility to building a National Disability Insurance Scheme by all Governments.
The COAG Communique said: “The First Ministers agreed that a National Disability Insurance Scheme must fundamentally change the way disability care and support is delivered in Australia using an insurance approach.
“A National Disability Insurance Scheme will take into account the cost of care over the lifetime of an individual and focus on increasing opportunities for people with disability and their carers.
“First Ministers also considered a progress report from the Select Council of Disability Ministers and Treasurers, which is leading work to design a National Disability Insurance Scheme.
“This report sets out a work plan to progress work on the design of the launch of a scheme; and to consider critical questions of funding, governance and eligibility for a full scheme as a priority.
“It reflects the existing agreement of the Commonwealth and states and territories to lay the foundations for a National Disability Insurance Scheme by 2013, a year ahead of the timetable set out by the Productivity Commission.
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