NDIA boss quits on eve of the federal election
1 May 2019 at 11:42 am
The leadership of the National Disability Insurance Agency has been thrown into limbo after the sudden resignation of CEO Robert De Luca.
The NDIA board was informed of De Luca’s immediate exit on Tuesday, and quickly moved to appoint deputy CEO Vicki Rundle as acting head of the organisation that manages the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The appointment of a new CEO will be decided by the incoming government following the federal election on 18 May.
De Luca quit the NDIA to become CEO of Zenitas Healthcare – a NDIS provider which lists the scheme as its second-largest revenue source – and it is understood his immediate departure was to avoid a conflict of interest.
“It has been a privilege to serve participants and to progress this important scheme of huge national significance. I have great confidence in the future of the scheme,” De Luca said.
The board of the NDIA said it accepted De Luca’s resignation with regret.
“Rob has been an inspiring leader who has attracted and built a highly capable executive team, which has underpinned a tripling of the number of participants as the scheme has rolled out,” they said.
De Luca has been NDIA CEO since August 2017 and was formerly a managing director at Bankwest and an executive at Commonwealth Bank.
He took over management of the NDIS amid the scheme’s full rollout and has overseen a tripling of participants.
But he has also had to deal with major implementation issues that have resulted in participants and providers struggling to transition to the scheme.
Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher thanked De Luca for his service in the role and said a search for a new CEO would commence immediately.
Let us hope the executive team and the board is also cleaned out by an incoming Shorten government
A good start. A new Chairperson, a new Minister and a new CEO would be a great boost for this struggling agency. The CEO should be accountable to the Minister rather than the Chairperson to avoid any conflict of interest. Hope springs eternal that the current bankers will be replaced with people with good content knowledge and lived practical experience.