The Australian Productivity Commission released their draft report on Disability Care and Support on 28 February 2011. The Samuel Morris Foundation is one of the organisations that has been behind the push for a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and the NDIS was part of the terms of reference for the Productivity Commission.
The Productivity Commission report contains a number of key points including:
- The current disability support system is underfunded, unfair, fragmented, and inefficient, and gives people with a disability little choice and no certainty of access to appropriate supports.
- The Commission has also accepted that the nation must better meet the needs of those people who currently do not receive any or only inadequate support and that their improved support packages would be portable across state and territory borders.
- The Commission recommends the introduction of a fully funded National Disability Insurance Scheme with individualised funding to ensure people with a disability and their families are able to exercise greater choice and control about the supports they need.
- The Commission has also suggested an entirely separate scheme for people requiring lifetime care and support for catastrophic injuries. To be known a the NIIS, a no-fault National Injury Insurance Scheme it would draw on the best schemes operating around Australia.
In making this additional point the Commission rightly pointed out that:
“….. for people requiring lifetime care and support for catastrophic injuries — such as major brain or spinal cord injuries. Currently, many Australians get poor care and support when they experience such injuries because they cannot find an at-fault party to sue. A no-fault national injury insurance scheme (NIIS), comprising a federation of individual state and territory schemes, would provide fully-funded care and support for all cases of catastrophic injury”
We are pleased with the key points of the report, and the fact that the Commission has gone as far as recommending the additional scheme for those who suffer catastrophic injuries…. many of the children who experience disability as a result of a near drowning fall into the category mentioned as their incident occurs in their own backyard swimming pool, and even if they occur elsewhere long and protracted court actions are required to obtain the funds they need. Such a scheme will ensure that children (and for that matter all Australians) will be brought into line with those who currently experience a catastrophic injury in a motor vehicle accident which in most states are covered by a life time care and support scheme funded through levies on registrations or insurance policies.
However, the launch of a draft report is still a long way from the implementation of either an NDIS or NIIS scheme. The Productivity Commission report is open for public submission up until 30 April 2011. We encourage anybody who knows someone with a disability to read the report and consider making a recommendation. We also encourage everyone to remember that anywhere, anytime from a myriad of different causes you could become disabled… and if it was you we are sure you would want the best possible system in place to help ensure your dignity and quality of life.
Accordingly there still needs to be a lot of pressure put on politicians and decision makers, so please join us by taking the pledge that Every Australian Counts……. click on this image
or visit www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au and sign up to help ensure that important change can happen to support the dignity and quality of life for people with a disability.
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