Thursday, 11 March 2021
‘We’re People, Not Numbers’
Disability Groups Plea with MPs to Halt New Assessment Model
An unprecedented alliance of disability representatives, providers and advocates will today urge their elected representatives to press pause on plans which would undermine the integrity of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Members of Parliament and Senators will be urged to join a virtual briefing on Thursday 11 March at noon. People with disability and organisation representatives will be putting forward their concerns about the changes to NDIS planning, funding and compulsory assessments.
The so-called ‘Independent Assessments’ would replace the current planning model based on individual need with a tick-a-box assessment where people are defined purely by their condition.
Under the planned changes:
• all future NDIS participants must undergo an assessment with an unknown assessor rather than their health professional.
• they will then be given a score, and an algorithm will then determine the level of support they receive based on this score.
• there will be no way for participants to appeal the decision.
Existing participants will progressively be required to undergo the same assessment process before they receive their next NDIS plan and funds.
The Federal Government is attempting to push through legislation allowing the change despite a truncated pilot of the new plan which exposed significant failings including:
• Assessments are not thoroughly or conducted by a suitable professional.
• There is no consultation between the assessor and the participant’s health professionals.
Some participants have reflected that the Assessments did not reflect their life or needs.
The advocates will today brief parliamentarians by video conference, explaining how the current planning system has transformed lives and how the proposed changes will put these social advances at risk.
Read the full Statement or Easy Read statements here: