ACT NDIS ‘Shutdown’ Resolved

The issues that would have seen more than a 1,000 people with disability missing out on the National Disability Insurance Scheme in the ACT appear to have been resolved.

An NDIS forum in Melbourne organised by the Summer Foundation heard that in the last 24 hours that the territory government had met with the federal government to resolve a situation that would have meant the capping of the number of people eligible for the new scheme.

General manager of markets and providers at the National Disability Insurance Agency, Esther Kerr-Smith told the forum that it was timely to be able to say that a move to a resolution had been found.

“The original targets for the ACT were only estimates and the agency is now doing planning for those who had made applications and others who are still to make their plans can now do so,” Kerr-Smith said.

Kerr-Smith said this had been resolved in the last 24 to 48 hours.

She said the discussions between the territory and federal governments to find a resolution could not have taken place during the recent election campaign.

A statement provided to Pro Bono Australia News from the ACT Government’s Community Services Directorate said discussions had already occurred between the ACT and the Commonwealth and the NDIA was continuing planning in the ACT.   

“All eligible participants will continue to receive access to the NDIA in line with agreed priority intake plans. The NDIS is not a capped program and priority will be given to participants who have already been made eligible for the scheme,” the statement said.

On Tuesday not-for-profit organisations demanded that any move to cap the NDIS in the ACT be reversed.

Disability advocacy organisations across the country united to call on the state and federal governments to work together to reverse the so-called  “shutdown” of the scheme in the ACT.

The move came after it emerged more than 1,000 people with a disability in the ACT were at risk of missing out on the scheme after the NDIA stated there would be no new participants in the territory.

The estimate of 5,075 participants contained in the original bilateral agreement had been reached and the territory and federal governments were said to be disputing who should fund additional places.

The disability organisations said the situation was causing “significant alarm” to people with disability who had been waiting many years to receive appropriate disability support and needed a clear statement that the scheme would continue to make plans with eligible participants.