Disabled and Carers Join Expert Groups to Design NDIS
2 May 2012 at 10:52 am
Three expert working groups, including disabled people and carers, have been chosen to help design the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The Federal Government has announced the groups that will work under the NDIS Advisory Group to help design a scheme that meets the lifetime care and support needs of people with significant and permanent disability.
The Minister for Community Services, Jenny Macklin, says it’s clear that there is a need for the expert advice of people with disability, their families and carers to help design this scheme.
“The expert groups include people with disability, their carers, advocates, service providers and other sector experts,” Macklin said.
“The expert group members bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to help people with disability, their families and carers, and the disability service sector, get ready for this change and to make sure the scheme works for them.
“They will advise on the design of key elements of the scheme including eligibility and assessment, quality safeguards and standards and a national approach to choice and control for people with disability.
On Monday, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that the National Disability Insurance Scheme will start in Australia from July 2013 in up to four locations across the country with Federal funding to be delivered in the Mat Budget.
Gillard said that from mid 2013, about 10,000 people with significant and permanent disabilities will start to receive support.By July 2014, that figure will rise to 20,000 people.
The PM said the timeframe means the first stage of an NDIS will be delivered a full year ahead of the timetable set out by the Productivity Commission.
The PM also announced that a new National Disability Transition Agency, funded by the Federal Government, will be established to run the delivery of care and support to people with disability,their families and carers in the select locations.
The Expert NDIS Working Groups are:
National Approach to Control and Choice
Jeff Harmer, NDIS Advisory Group (co-chair)
Fran Vicary, NDIS Advisory Group (co-chair)
Robbi Williams, Julia Farr Association
Kirsten Deane, National Disability and Carers Alliance
Lesley Hall, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
Samantha Jenkinson, National Disability and Carer Council
Ara Cresswell, Carers Australia
Vicki O’Halloran, Somerville Community Services Darwin
Daniel Leighton, Inclusion Melbourne
Eligibility and Assessment
Rhonda Galbally, NDIS Advisory Group (co-chair)
Joan McKenna-Kerr, NDIS Advisory Group (co-chair)
Ros Madden, University of Sydney
Janet Dore, Transport Accident Commission
Robbi Williams, Julia Farr Association
Tim Moore, Carers Australia
Graeme Innes, Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner
Frank Quinlan, Mental Health Council of Australia
Suzanne Lulham, New South Wales Lifetime Care and Support Authority
Lesley Hall, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
Quality Safeguards and Standards
Lorna Hallahan, NDIS Advisory Group (co-chair)
Bruce Bonyhady, NDIS Advisory Group (co-chair)
Stephanie Gotlib, Children with Disability Australia
Margaret Reynolds
Marita Walker, Perth Homecare
Sally Robinson, Griffith University
Kevin Cocks, Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner
Kelly Shay, United Voice
500,000 Australians were abused by church and state., Most of them now have a carer, and damaged children. In our family, four of us are on disability as a result of the injury to the breadwinner. Everywhere I look I see no sign that this particular disability is recognized. I guess that governments are merely waiting for us to die.
VERY, VERY, Angry and disappointed to note that the MOST vulnerable and often unable to speak for themselves group, those adults with intellectual disablity and more particularly those adults with such profound severe and multiple disablities WHO CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES have NO REPRESENTATION ON ANY OF THESE GROUPS!!