100,000 NDIS Supporters…and Counting!
22 December 2011 at 10:26 am
A nation wide online campaign that set out to push the Federal Government towards a National Disability Insurance Scheme has reached it’s target of 100,000 supporters – and released a video to celebrate.
The online campaign has continued even after the Gillard Government announced that it would implement ther ecommendations of the Productivity Commission and set up an NDIS.
The Every Australian Counts campaign kicked off on Australia Day 2011, with a goal to reach 100,000 supporters of the NDIS by the end of the year.
However in August, the Gillard Government announced that it would start work immediately with State and Territory Governments on measures that will build the foundations for a National Disability Insurance Scheme, following the release of the Productivity Commission's final report.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will provide insurance cover for all Australians in the event that they, or a family member, acquire a disability.
The scheme will provide individually tailored care and support to around 410,000 people with significant disabilities.
The report recommended that funding for the scheme – projected to cost around $6.3 billion per year – be a core function of government, just like Medicare.
A separate no-fault insurance scheme was recommended for people requiring lifetime care and support for catastrophic injuries, such as major brain or spinal cord injuries.
The major report found that the current disability support system in Australia is underfunded, unfair, fragment and inefficient, and that most people in Australia cannot adequately prepare for the financial impacts of significant disability.
The Productivity Commission has proposed a 7-year timeline for the full implementation of the Scheme, beginning with a trial in Victoria in 2014. The Scheme would then be widened to include the other States and Territories, covering all Australians by the end of 2018-19.
The campaign organisers say the supporters have shown their enthusiasm for the scheme by continuing to sign on, visit their local MP, attend a community forum, come together for a cuppa at DisabiliTEA or talk to a friend about the campaign.
To celebrate the campaign has released a video of the highlights of the 2011 campaign with the help of comedian, Wendy Harmer.
Every Australian Counts says “the counter is still ticking and we will keep campaigning until we see the National Disability Insurance Scheme in place, for good.”
Find out more at: http://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/100000_supporters_and_counting/
See the video HERE
