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Welcome to Ability News!
Hi and welcome to our second edition.
A lot happened last week, with NDIS Review co-Chair Bruce Bonahady revealing the main contours of his recommended changes to the scheme.
These won’t surprise many in the sector, who are well aware of exactly where the cost blow-outs are occurring and what’s needed to make it sustainable again. We’ve embedded a copy of the 7:30 interview in this newsletter. It’s well worth another look.
Also this week, Nic Stuart examines the political pressures that led to the Review in the first place and finds these come down to three things: saving money, not spending money, and spending money better. But before you despair, take heart, because the Review is about much more than just extracting savings - it’s about making the system better as well.
Next is our wrap of the week’s stories and then, finally, a radio interview with the headteacher of a Perth Ladies College whose school was about to hold a stunt getting students to sponsor teachers who adopted a disability for a day.
Fortunately the display was cancelled but it does demonstrate just how important it is to help change the way the country thinks about disability.
And that’s our job!
So please enjoy this newsletter and visit our Ability News website for more stories.
Have a great week!
Nic Stuart
Editor
This week's stories
Early Hint of Review Recommendations
Author: Nic Stuart
NDIS Review co-Chair Bruce Bonahady interviewed for the first time on his Review findings. Photo Montage: courtesy 7:30 Report
Review head Bruce Bonahady says dramatic changes are needed if the NDIS is to remain sustainable. These are likely to include a return to greater use of combined services rather than individualised packages, as at the moment.
In his first interview before the release of the review into the NDIS, co-chair Bruce Bonyhady has given some very strong hints about the coming changes to the program.
Bonahady told the ABC’s Laura Tingle that more work needs to be done in group settings, rather than relying completely on individualised packages, as at the moment. He suggested that for some participants there would be a return to “the old home and community care system”.
The Chair also suggested the states had sought to completely pull out of support provision, and insisted they needed to accept responsibility for providing a number of programs and services that were appropriate for groups, rather than single people.
“The great challenge we now face is to finish the job”
Bonyhady points out that a massive five percent of boys aged five to seven have individualised packages with the NDIS. He insisted that many such people might benefit more from participating in group settings, rather than their own plans.
Although ‘fact dense’, the interview covered all the touch points where change is necessary and suggested that the Review involves broad conceptual alterations to the NDIS, rather than simply tinkering at the edges.
Reforming the NDIS
Author: Nic Stuart
“Only Labor could have given Australia the NDIS”
Bill Shorten at the National Press Club. 28 April 2021
On 28 April 2021, Bill Shorten accused the then coalition government of betraying the hopes of the NDIS. Three years later - to the day - Anthony Albanese insisted the scheme couldn’t be a blank check telling National Cabinet he wanted “equity and fairness”. In a month’s time the scheme will be rebooted, based on the findings of the NDIS Review. It’s all the culmination of a carefully crafted political strategy, years in the making, that’s now swinging into operation to ensure the recommendations will be accepted.
Nic Stuart teases out the political and financial pressures driving the reforms...
Ever since he became Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese had a simple list of objectives. The first step was to get elected and the second was to stay in power. A desire to change the country was relegated to third place because, as he put it, you can’t change anything if you’re not in power.
Albanese achieved his first objective on the 21st of May last year, and don’t underestimate how difficult that was.
Politics is a brutal business. Seven people - John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison, and Albanese - have won an election this century but only two of them - Howard and Morrison - finished their term. The others were unceremoniously dumped by their own party and Albanese doesn’t intend to let that happen to him.
Now Albanese’s focusing on his second objective: holding on to government. This doesn’t require dramatic reforms which frighten voters. The electorate wants, most importantly, to feel secure, and that’s why Albanese’s backing AUKUS. So far so good. But another, equally vital aspect of security is controlling expenditure.
And this is Albanese’s third requirement - to keep spending on any new initiatives under control. Which leaves a question: what’s driving the reform agenda for the NDIS? Is it a desire to improve the scheme, or simply a push to save money?
Newsbriefs
A roundup of some of the disability headlines over the past week.
Engagement as part of NDIS Review
The energetic collective network Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) has been funded by the Australian Government to engage with advocates, people with disability and experts as part of the NDIS Review. As a part of this effort it is both hosting online discussions and producing reports into different elements of the scheme. Guardian Australia reports DANA now urges the government to split the NDIS into two parts, “one arm a proactive compliance body, and the other an ombudsman that has participant complaints handling and consumer rights as its core function”.
More Changing Places
Following-up on last week’s Ability News cover story, the ABC reports on the vital role of simple supports like accessible toilets enabling participation.
The story notes the Federal Budget allocated $32 million to pay a third of the cost in a move that will assist local councils add extra Changing Places. The piece includes comment from Julie Jones from Travel without Limits.
She notes although construction codes now require accessible toilets in new large buildings, these are not always available in older ones. Even significant public places like the Sydney Cricket Ground don’t possess such facilities.
Rail accessibility raised
The Brisbane Times carries a report that is interesting primarily in terms of the way changes enabling access for people with disability are being reported.
Four suburban Brisbane rail stations are closing for at least 10 months (read ‘a year’) while “new pedestrian bridges, lifts and platform changes are made to improve disability access”.
The piece is illustrated with the attached picture, highlighting an (expensive) lift that will be built to complete part of the renovations.
The story includes - but doesn’t highlight - the news that the platforms also need to be raised for the simple reason they are unsafe.
New hydrotherapy pool for Canberra
Riot Act reports on a plan to develop a new hydrotherapy pool in Canberra’s South. Located at Lakeside Leisure Centre in Greenway the pool is budgeted at $8.5 million and is scheduled to work to begin in 2024.
This will be a vital addition to the other southside therapy centre, managed by Hartley LifeCare and located at Hughes.
ACT Health Minister Rachael Stephen-Smith is urging the community to give input to the proposed design, which has not yet been finalised.
Adopt a disability fundraiser, not a good idea
Prestigious Perth school MLC is on the banks of the Swan River
Photo Credit - MLC
It started as great idea - a fundraising effort for a disability support provider. But unsurprisingly, everything quickly got out of control when somebody had the idea of sponsoring teachers to ‘pretend to have a disability for a day’.
An elite Perth girls school has rapidly scrapped a bizarre plan to raise money for a disability organisation by getting teachers to adopt a disability for a day.
Plans for the day were well advanced until they became public and concerned people demanded the school drop its plan. Even during an interview with 6PR radio host Oliver Peterson the recently appointed school principal didn’t appear to realise how insensitive the scheme actually was.
“It’s only fair to say we only did it with the best of intentions”
MLC Principal Rebecca Clarke
The school has played a positive role as a supporter of Nulsen Disability Services, an organisation that’s offered accommodation and other supports in Western Australia for more than 70 years.
But the rapid outcry that erupted as soon as the idea was announced emphasised the size of the comprehension gap that still exists within the able community.
The schools treatment of people with disability has been compared with the insensitivity of ‘black-face’.
“You wouldn’t wear boot-polish today and pretend to be somebody from Africa”, an observer commented. “Nor should people pretend to have a disability. The idea is completely insensitive.”
Author: Nic Stuart
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