States Urged to Maintain Disability Funding

Governments in News South Wales and Victoria have been urged to continue funding disability services in their regions in tandem with the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Federal opposition MPs have warned that carers and those with disabilities that don’t fall within the NDIS scope will be left without assistance unless State Government’s continue to fund current services.

Federal NSW Labor MP and Opposition Whip, Jill Hall said as the trial sites for the NDIS are rolled out across the regions, the NSW Government is no longer funding the services that were in place for carers and a wide range of people with disabilities.

“In particular, from a carer’s perspective and who are usually an older group of people, they are now missing out as services they once relied on are being withdrawn,” Hall said.

“NSW is by far the worst state in terms of withdrawing State funds.”

Hall, whose electorate covers part of the NSW NDIS trial sites, said there is a sense that the State’s funds are being put into the NDIS roll out and that’s now their full contribution to disability services.

“For the people who don’t meet the NDIS criteria including carers, the funding cuts are a double whammy. People will fall through the cracks,” she said.

Hall said the same thing is happening in Victoria and the new Labor Government needs to take stock of its disability funding in conjunction with the NDIS trial funding.

WA Labor Senator Claire Moore also warned that some support services will not be available once the NDIS is rolled out.

“While there is a genuine commitment by the Federal Government to deliver the NDIS in full, the States funding for carers programs and people with intellectual disabilities must be maintained,” Moore said.

However, she said, the statistics vary on who will be covered under the NDIS  and under the current selection process many people won’t meet the criteria.

“Unless the states continue funding, many of the disability support services won’t be there when the full NDIS arrives,” she said.