NewsVIC, NSW sign agreements, rollout details are available now
Usually people find the signing of government agreements pretty boring. However, on Wednesday, September 16 there was great excitement for people with disability living in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW). On that day, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) became real. This is because the full rollout was announced for Victoria and NSW. Full rollout means that the NDIS will be available to support every person with a permanent and significant disability who lives in NSW or Victoria by the middle of 2019, not just the people who live in the trial site areas. Matthew Wright, CEO of the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations said “This is a watershed (defining) moment for people with disability and their families in Australia, and for the NDIS.”
On September 16, two bilateral agreements were signed; one between the Commonwealth Government and the State Government of Victoria, and the other one between the Commonwealth Government and the State Government of NSW. These agreements explain how each of the governments will make the NDIS real. It also explains when the NDIS will be available in Victoria and NSW and in what area.
From July 2016 the NDIS will start to be available in certain parts of Victoria and NSW. By July 2019 it will be available everywhere in Victoria and NSW.
Victorian NDIS rollout timeline:
1 July 2016
- North East Melbourne area
1 January 2017
- Central Highlands area
1 May 2017
- Loddon area
1 October 2017
- Inner Gippsland area
- Ovens Murray area
- Western District area
1 November 2017
- Inner East Melbourne area
- Outer East Melbourne area
1 March 2018
- Hume Moreland area
1 April 2018
- Bayside Peninsula area
1 September 2018
- Southern Melbourne area
1 October 2018
- Brimbank Melton area
- Western Melbourne area
1 January 2019
- Goulburn area
- Mallee area
- Outer Gippsland area
New South Wales NDIS rollout timeline:
July 2016
- Northern Sydney district
- Central Coast district
- Southern NSW district
- South Western Sydney district
- Western Sydney district
- Hunter New England district
- Nepean Blue Mountains
July 2017
- South Eastern Sydney district
- Sydney district
- Far West district
- Illawarra Shoalhaven district
- Mid North Coast district
- Murrumbidgee district
- Northern NSW district
- Western NSW district
How will people access the NDIS?
People on the waiting list for Victorian Government disability support (the Disability Support Register) will be given priority access to the NDIS when it is available. Children on the Early Childhood Intervention Services waiting list will also be given priority. People who already receive Victorian Government disability funding will be contacted about moving over to NDIS support when it is available in the area.
People currently getting support through the NSW Government specialist disability services system will access the NDIS first when it starts in an area. If you are not currently receiving support, check the information and resources available from the NSW page on the NDIS website.
All of Australia needs the NDIS
When the South Australian Government and Commonwealth Government made their first bilateral agreement, they thought less people with disability would be eligible for the NDIS than there were. A maximum number of NDIS Participants was decided, but it turned out to be much less than the number of people that needed support and so now it looks like they are not taking any more. A new bilateral agreement would be very important because people with disability in South Australia want to access the NDIS in full.
People also want the NDIS rollout to be agreed to in other states and territories. Australian Federation of Disability Organisations CEO Matthew Wright said “The NDIS was set up as a national scheme for good reason, which is why the remaining states and territories must move quickly to finalise their agreements.”
Making the NDIS real
The NDIS has been a long time in the making. People with disability have been campaigning for many years to make the NDIS really happen. This is a big moment for people with disability in Australia and an even bigger moment for those in Victoria and New South Wales. The bilateral agreement makes the NDIS real and gives certainty to people with disability in Victoria and New South Wales. It is also a time to celebrate!
Visit these links for more information on the rollouts in New South Wales and Victoria.
Below are some links to media that has talked about this:
Watershed moment for people with disability - NDIS Bilateral Agreements for VIC & NSW signed (video with captions & transcript)
ABC News 24, September 16
Watershed moment for people with disability as Federal/State NDIS Agreements get signed in Victoria and New South Wales
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, September 16
Griffith woman welcomes NSW NDIS announcement, but says planning must start now
ABC News, September 18
Malcolm Turnbull signs NDIS agreements for Victoria and NSW
The Australian, September 16
NSW, Victoria lock in national disability rollout
Australian Financial Review, September 16
National Disability Insurance Scheme: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull signs first agreements for full roll-out
ABC News, September 16