Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I present the committee's report entitled Report into supported independent living.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—I am pleased to present the report of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme relating to the committee's inquiry into supported independent living, known as SIL. SIL is a category of funding and supports under the NDIS. In essence, SIL refers to assistance with and supervision of daily tasks in the home to support participants to develop the capacity to live as independently as possible.

Under the state funded disability support framework that existed prior to the NDIS, funding was provided directly to operators of group homes and assisted-living facilities. Supports were often tied to residence in group homes, and people with disability often had little choice in relation to the people and organisations that provided their supports or those with whom they lived. These arrangements are coming to an end, and more innovative funding and support models are being developed under the NDIS. SIL is one of these models.

In the view of the committee, SIL has the potential to deliver transformational benefits to NDIS participants by supporting them to develop the skills needed for independent living and by helping to maximise community participation. However, the committee has heard from submitters and witnesses that the current SIL regime is not living up to its promise and suffers from a number of issues, with the potential to undermine choice and control for participants and to affect the financial viability of providers. This is of particular concern, given the significant portion of total NDIS funding committed to SIL supports and the fact that a substantial number of participants accessing SIL have higher or more complex needs.

The committee appreciates that the National Disability Insurance Agency has made a number of enhancements to the SIL regime, and has several further initiatives in train. However, a number of issues associated with the access to and the delivery of SIL supports persist. Some of these must be remedied as a matter of urgency. The committee's report makes 45 recommendations to improve the operation of the SIL regime. These focus on access to SIL for participants and providers, living arrangements for participants with SIL, the vacancy management process, funding for SIL and other issues including access for supports in thin markets, decision support and advocacy. Ultimately the recommendations aim to maximise choice and control for participants consistent with the underpinning principles of the NDIS and to maximise financial and other hardship for participants and providers.

As the committee has continued to meet during the current restrictions relating to the COVID virus, I'll say something in relation to that for a moment. COVID-19 has created unprecedented risk and uncertainty around the globe and has forced major changes to the ways in which people interact and do business. The committee appreciates that this pandemic creates particular risks for more vulnerable people, including people with disability who have access to supports under the NDIS. The committee notes that the NDIA has announced a series of measures to address risks to participants associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. These include working with supermarket retailers to ensure that participants have priority access to home delivery services, conducting plan reviews by phone or email and automatically extending plans by 365 days. The NDIA has also announced a suite of measures to support providers. These include advanced payment to assist with temporary cost increases, requiring 10 business days to cancel services, temporarily increasing price limits for certain core and capacity-building supports, introducing new support coordination items into the support catalogue and increasing flexibility in how participants may use funds in their plans. The government has also worked to ensure access to personal protective equipment for participants and providers. Access to personal protective equipment will be prioritised for NDIS providers who deliver personal care and for other activities requiring close physical contact. Additional information regarding the NDIS response to COVID-19, including regular updates, can be found on the agency's website.

The committee emphasises that the NDIA and the government must continue to develop and implement measures to ensure participants continue to receive the supports they require during these challenging times while ensuring that risks of exposure to COVID-19 are minimised if not eliminated. The committee has been monitoring the operation of the scheme over the past few weeks and months, in particular with regular briefings from the National Disability Insurance Agency and from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission as well as from the Department of Social Services, and we'll continue to do this as part of our general oversight of the NDIS.

Finally, I wish to thank all those who participated in the inquiry. In particular I'd like to acknowledge the participants, families and carers who attended hearings and town hall sessions to share their personal experiences. The testimony of those with lived experience is crucial to identifying issues and making improvements to the NDIS. And I thank the secretariat, led by Bonnie Allen, for all their sterling work in the production of this and other reports. With these comments, I commend the report to the House.

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