Aussies Want More Details on NDIS - Survey

Australians want more information on how the National Disability Insurance Scheme will operate and apply to them, the inaugural NDIS Information Survey has found.

Conducted by the National Disability and Carer Alliance, the survey involved more than 500 participants such as people with disability, their relatives, unpaid family carers, service providers and members of the wider community.

Respondents were optimistic about the introduction of the NDIS, however the key findings of the survey were:

• Knowledge of the NDIS: More than 70 per cent of participants wanted to know more about the NDIS. About half described their knowledge of the NDIS as “ok” and only 7 per cent as “excellent”. About 20 per cent described their knowledge as pretty or very poor.

• NDIS availability: About 60 per cent of participants did not know when the NDIS was likely to be available to them or to their family.

• NDIS information: Most participants received their information on the NDIS from e-newsletters, community organisations and the media.

• NDIS concerns: The greatest concerns about the NDIS were related to the impact on current services and the length of time it will take for the scheme to be fully rolled out.

• FUTURE information: Participants said information on the NDIS rollout, eligibility and assessment would be of most use in the future, followed by information about the planning process and case studies.

Australia Federation of Disability Organisations Acting CEO Stephen Gianni said the survey results would be used to guide the National Disability and Carer Alliance’s communication efforts and would be passed on to government agencies, disability services and carers to help everyone to continue to improve their communications.

“A lack of information was raised as a concern by 20 per cent of participants, so we know there is more work to be done and we look forward to working with governments and providers to help address this,’’ he said.

Alliance spokesperson Roland Naufal said the fact that almost 70 per cent of participants wanted to know more about the NDIS and one in five thought they had “poor” NDIS knowledge meant there was a vital need for clear and ongoing communications.

“The survey participants were largely already familiar with the NDIS, so it is concerning that so many of them felt they didn’t know enough about the scheme,’’ Naufal said

“We need people to fully understand the NDIS and how and when it will apply to them in order to prevent anger, hurt frustration and disappointment.

“At the other end of the scale, it is promising that there were many participants that felt well informed about the NDIS – this shows that many of the existing communication channels and messages are working.’’

Naufal said the survey also showed the merit of the Alliance’s fortnightly E- Newsletter – with participants clearly valuing direct communication coming from the community sector.