The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides support to eligible people with a disability aimed at improving their overall quality of life. The NDIS also connects those with a disability to services in their community including doctors, community groups, sporting clubs, support groups, schools, libraries and government services. The NDIS was implemented by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2013 and now supports over 500,000 Australians with a disability. The NDIS currently supports 80,000 children with disabilities and developmental delays so to improve their quality of life and the best outcomes throughout their lives.
Since the set-up of the NDIS, despite the Government’s commitment to supporting Australians living with a disability and the increasing public funds allocated yearly to support the scheme, the issue of fraudulent activities has been escalating in the past few years and more so recently. The NDIS Fraud Taskforce which was established to crackdown on individual, syndicate and company fraudulent activities is identifying and dismantling criminal activity at a more rapid pace with coordinated multi-agency operations that involve more than 150 AFP and partner agency members. The NDIS Fraud Taskforce is a multi-agency partnership between the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Services Australia.
The Albanese Labor Government has recently committed to a further $48.3 million in the 2023-24 Budget to fight fraud against the NDIS. The government states that private companies and criminals are partly behind the huge blow out in how much the National Disability Insurance Scheme which is costing taxpayers. It has announced a crackdown to end businesses profiteering from the scheme, which for the first time this financial year will cost more than Medicare. Fraudulent activity which includes, fake ABN identities and fake medical and diagnosis documentation, has resulted in harsh sentencing and prison terms.
The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services, has recently made an announcement of major reforms to the NDIS. The six-point plan of reforms are aimed at improving services, tackling fraud and unethical practices and to ‘re-boot’ the NDIS so that it continues to support the hundreds of thousands of Australians that are living with a disability. Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra in April, the Minister called for improvements to the experience of NDIS participants and undertook to look for ways to “reduce waste, inefficiency and inflationary costs” in the program.
The first reform is aimed at increasing the NDIS workforce and specialisation which will improve on the experience of those on and those seeking the support. The second reform will see the NDIS transition to a longer planning cycle for participants as opposed to the current short-term plan in which recipients need to prove their disability in every 6-12 months. The third systematic reform is addressing the increasing costs and maximising the benefits for participants. The fourth reform is to review supported independent living which is designed to allow people with higher needs to live in their homes but with help 24/7 if necessary. Targeting unethical and fraudulent activities against the NDIS is the fifth reform. Finally, the six reform and possibly the most challenging to deliver, is the goal to increase the mainstream services and support that deliver on inclusion and universal service provisions. It’s also evidently crucial that existing mainstream services and facilities including health, transport, housing, education must be more accessible and supportive to foster inclusion.
As the crackdown on NDIS fraud and non-compliance escalates and the implementation of the much-needed reform evolves, there is inevitably greater scope for the opportunities and support the NDIS can provide to those with a disability. The government has announced it will invest more than $720 million in the NDIS over four years in the upcoming budget. The sustainability and design of the NDIS is due to be finalised in October 2023.
