Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

LE () (): Joline George is a mother of two, and her youngest, an eight-year-old, has autism and is currently in a support unit in a public school. He receives funding from the NDIS, but the road to getting him the right care and support hasn't been easy. For Joline, not only did she have to come to terms with having a child with special needs, with autism spectrum level 3; she and her husband felt helpless not knowing where to find the right information to give their child the best care they could, as any parent would. Her journey to find the right support made her realise that there was nothing out there for carers, so she set up Help You Cope to assist mothers with the personal and emotional challenges of caring for children with special needs. Since 2019, this small not-for-profit organisation in my community of Fowler has been able to provide for over 100 mothers every month, and growing, with the emotional support they need in their roles as mothers with special needs children.

I spoke with Joline, who welcomed the NDIS reform that's being proposed, which is focusing on the states having a hand in supporting autism developmental delays and ADHD in lower socio-economic areas, of which Fowler is one. It is proposed that foundational support is provided outside of the NDIS and introduced to people with less severe disabilities. As defined by the NDIS Review, foundational supports are disability specific supports available outside of individuals' budgets and aim to provide the foundation for a good life. This certainly is a step forward, but it's imperative that the government understands the challenges carers such as Joline and her mothers group experience.

While Joline welcomes the concept of having the funding provided to a school to deliver the support, she's concerned that schools lacks the staffing numbers and the specialists required to provide support for those children with special needs. My Fowler community are joining at up to three times the rate of their inner-city counterparts when it comes to the NDIS, with most of the children in my electorate 1.3 times more likely to suffer from developmental delays and learning disabilities. Families in Fowler and Western Sydney receive lower NDIS funding for the same diagnosis than those in more affluent areas, and the waiting list to get specialist care is between 12 and 24 months for therapy.

As the member for Fowler, I'm passionate about my constituents getting the adequate support that they deserve and being empowered to thrive in my community. I appreciate the government's intention of transforming disability support in Australia, but I ask the government to ensure that equity is maintained and that barriers are dismantled with the new NDIS scheme to support families who are crying out for more funding.