Regardless of where the money comes from, the head of a local support service is concerned about how well funded the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be.
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Many in the disability sector were left uncertain this week when the government indicated it would scrap plans to raise the Medicare levy by 0.5 per cent.
The government’s previous commitment to raising the levy had been welcomed by many in the sector, who viewed it as a way to put any concerns about NDIS funding to rest.
Treasurer Scott Morrison now believed the money could be found in some unexpected revenue that had appeared since the original announcement.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Morrison reiterated the government’s commitment to fully funding and guaranteeing the NDIS.
An October Productivity Commission report estimated that the scheme would cost $22 billion in the first year of full operation.
Amicus Group executive officer Ann-Maree Davis said that if that turned out to be the case, the government’s proposal for paying for the scheme should work out.
“But from our experience it is much more complex than the simple math,” she said.
Ms Davis would be watching developments with interest, saying she was concerned the NDIS was not fully addressing peoples’ requirements – especially for those with complex needs.
“Our experience locally is that a significant percentage of NDIS participants and their families have requested reviews of their plans because they have not received adequate funding to meet their needs,” she said.
Ms Davis said elements of the system were still immature or yet to be put in place.
“(It) creates an unfunded push-back on the sector to bridge the gap,” she said.
That could prove unsustainable. Not all disability services had the capacity to respond to extra cost, Ms Davis said.
“All of these concerns directly relate to whether the estimates are correct. My concern is that we should be seeking to ensure that the scheme is adequately funded, whatever the source.”
Ms Davis said would like to see all political parties commit to ensuring peoples’ needs were adequately addressed. She would also like to see “significant investment” to address issues that had been identified with the scheme.
“Any shortfall in NDIS funding will have an impact on local services, but first and foremost it will impact people with a disability and their families,” Ms Davis said.