Two More States Sign up to NDIS

Two more governments have signed off on the DisabilityCare Australia agreement, following the announcement of South Australia committing to the deal last week.

The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory signed the agreement, formerly the National Disability Insurance Scheme, between the federal government, leading disability campaigners to welcome what they have called ‘the great leap forward’.

The ACT government has agreed to full implementation of the scheme by 2016-17, covering 5000 people with disability while the Northern Territory government has reportedly signed up to a first stage NDIS launch site covering 100 people with disability in the Barkly region, with a mix of remote, regional and urban communities.

Last week the South Australian government reached an agreement with the Federal Government to roll out the full NDIS to 33,000 people with disability, following on from its state-wide launch of the scheme targeting children up to 14 years.

National campaign director of Every Australian Counts, John Della Bosca, said that the surge in NDIS agreements shows that all levels of government and both major political parties accept they must commit to the NDIS and ensure people with disability and their families are finally able to get the support they need to participate fully in the community.

“There can be no doubt now that all the leaders and members of Parliament from every political party have got the message: hundreds of thousands of NDIS campaigners – people with disability and their families and carers – will not tolerate the NDIS being put on the back burner,” Della Bosca said.

“The NDIS is underway.”

The agreements build on last year’s historic start to the NDIS, when the coalition New South Wales government became the first state to reach agreement with the federal government for full NDIS implementation beyond its launch site in the Hunter Valley region.

Della Bosca was adamant that campaigners would not rest until every Australian in need was guaranteed access to the NDIS.

“The Every Australian Counts campaign calls on the remaining state and territory governments and the federal government to show their good faith and sign agreements to ensure the full NDIS operates across the country, as recommended by the Productivity Commission.”