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By Leith van Onselen
A few weeks ago, I called the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) a $ 22 billion "bureaucratic nightmare" citing personal experience from my family with our 10 year old autistic.
Although he was diagnosed in the "severe range" of autistic spectrum disorders, unable to converse or read, and attending a special school, my son was denied funding for disability services that he had access to without a hitch. My wife has also spent countless hours filling out NDIS forms, writing letters, attending meetings, making phone calls, making medical appointments, etc. is like a part time job. NDIS funding also appears to be arbitrary and based on the chance of the pot.
Some children with disabilities less severe than my son received literally tens of thousands of dollars in funding, while some children with a more severe disability. For example, a child we know suffers from severe autism and is attending an autistic school, but he was denied access to NDIS anyway. Worse still, his letter of refusal was addressed to him, despite the fact that he could neither read nor write.
Personal anecdotes aside, the NDIS was recently criticized by the Administrative Court of Appeal (TAA) for being "slow" "haphazard" lacking transparency and being "bloodied" .
And yesterday, the federal government announced a 100-member working group within the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to protect against NDIS fraud, including organized crime:
"You come after the NDIS, we will come after you, "Social Services Minister Dan Tehan told Canberra on Tuesday.
Money pots like NDIS have attracted organized crime.
This year the plan is worth $ 8 billion, but by 2022 this figure will reach $ 22 billion and up to $ 27 billion in the next decade
. trying to rip an imp "They are trying to snatch up all Australian taxpayers," said Taylor.
He said that those who target the system will have nowhere to hide, authorities using technology and data to follow
The huge amount of money offered by the NDIS was always going to spawn a whole range of intermediaries and suppliers seeking to cash in, causing significant waste, or worse, fraud. We have already seen it with the private sector retwing of VET, dropping subsidies for childcare and the adoption of the Pink Batts Scheme.
NDIS should also see state governments attempting to shift their responsibilities to the federal government. as we currently see it with school bus services for children with disabilities.
When NDIS was first announced, families of people with disabilities were badured that they would not be worse off. I can say from personal experience, and by talking a lot with other members of the community, that this certainly has not been the case
Access to services has been reduced, while the time lost about bureaucratic processes exploded.
is great for middle men with their fingers in the honeypot, but a disaster for many families of people with disabilities.
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