In 2013, the Federal Government, along with all State and Territory governments, agreed to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The NDIS was introduced to provide funding for people who have a "permanent and significant" disability to access the "reasonable and necessary" support needs related to their disability.
Having worked as a carer for people with a disability, I saw the inequities of support in the community, where a person's ability to access support services was based upon how they acquired their disability. It was not hard to conclude that it was the responsibility of the community to provide equitable and adequate services for all people with a disability. For me, it was about time we had the NDIS.
When it was introduced, politicians of both persuasions wholeheartedly endorsed the scheme, but it would never be that easy to maintain enthusiasm. Funding is constantly under pressure, and the federal government is constantly looking for a way to reduce the funding or to change the eligibility rules. Disability advocates are concerned that the introduction of independent assessments is being used to contain the costs of the scheme. The list of conditions that grant people automatic access to the scheme will change, and there is a real fear that many people with a disability will be left vulnerable to a reduction of support.
Since the introduction of the scheme, people with a disability have learnt that the promised support is not always there and that they will need to fight to keep what they have.