the Grattan Institute (LINK) has released a plan.
Costs must be reined in – and this can be done in a way that ensures disabled Australians can get the help they need.
The scheme cost nearly $42 billion in 2023-24 and is expected to cost more than $58 billion by 2028.
It grew by about 24 per cent a year on average from 2019-20 to 2023-24 and is now one of the biggest pressures on the federal budget.
The Grattan report has called for "firmer boundaries" clarifying who the NDIS was for, changes to how claims were managed to make outcomes more consistent, and a new National Disability Agreement to define the responsibilities of different levels of government.
But the biggest saving would come from a "modest" redirection of funds from the pool of money set aside for individual plans, into a new tier of foundational supports specifically for kids with developmental delay and people with psychosocial disability.
ABC LINK.
as it happens, according to the ABC, states and territories are still working on funding arrangements for the "foundational supports" which were supposed to commence next month.
I think Grattan has picked up the difficulty with what Keating referred to wrt a bucket of money.
40 years ago all disability and mental health services were provided by state govts. people were often locked up indefinitely and the system was at a major point of change with deinstitutionalisation. people who had lived most of their lives in institutions, or had been under heavy sedative treatment losing years of their lives and becoming adapted to lethargy and promiscuity. they had to learn skills in a fog of psychotropic medication.... not an easy task for many and creating different difficulties of survival in the community.
but the issue that was always neglected were related to children. ADHD is the classic example; often diagnosed but never completely or clearly understood by most people but often as the child grows can become extremely difficult for families and particularly siblings. by teens, untreated ADHD can result in violence and antisocial behaviours. not of the child's own volition but due to the climax of growth and sex hormones and the neurochemistry of ADHD an excellent LINK to explain.
I argue for the NDIS because without such supports many of these people would forever remain dependent on the nation. With supports they can grow and develop the skills to thrive in the community and contribute.
addit: it must not be overlooked that the people I've described are a large cohort, but NDIS includes many who don't have mental of developmental problems, whose disabilities are purely physical. these are the people who are most likely to gain working skills and leave disability benefits and pay taxes.
back to funding. states have saved a load of money since 40 years ago. sure their budgets are tight (mostly)..... but states should be sharing the cost of the new "foundational supports"
