National Disability Insurance Scheme

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the new way of providing support for people with disability, their families and carers, built on insurance principles. It is a most significant social policy reform for people with disabilities and their communities and will change the landscape of the disability care and support sector and the wider community.

In July 2011, the Productivity Commission recommended that governments introduce the NDIS, describing the old disability welfare model as “under-funded, fragmented and inefficient, and giving people with a disability little choice and no certainty of access to appropriate supports”.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) was established to enact the NDIS and established the national head office in Geelong Victoria. For information regarding the rollout schedule in Victoria, visit the NDIS website.

Councils and NDIS Service Provision

Two case studies below from councils who have taken decisions to register for NDIS service provision

Resources

The MAV has conducted three major forums on the NDIS rollout and presentations are available on the Members Only past event presentation page.

NDIS demand map

The NDIS demand map provided by the Department of Social Services is part of a suite of new resources to boost the local care workforce and support providers in the NDIS market. Councils may be interested from a community perspective of the estimates of people in their municipality (construct the postcode areas into your municipal area) who are likely to be NDIS participants by disability and supports likely to be required (and potential spend).

The NDIS demand map, which provides estimates of participant, workforce and spend numbers by postcode, can be found on the Boosting the Local Care Workforce website.

National Disability Strategy

The National Disability Strategy is structured around six broad outcome areas and councils have varying roles and responsibilities within each of these domains:

  • inclusive and accessible communities
  • rights, protection, justice and legislation
  • economic security
  • personal and community support
  • learning and skills
  • health and wellbeing.