This fortnight in the realm of NDIS we are not going to look at a single provider, but at the complex web of reviews, analysis and maintaining the status quo.

We have been assured time and time again that “The Government is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive Australia, where all people with disability are supported to thrive”

But you would be forgiven for having head spins and not knowing who is doing what when and how. The last 12 months has seen a huge array of reports, recommendations and taskforces. Some of which are very loosely linked and make for one hell of a mess. The below table is my interpretation of what is going on:

Isn’t it interesting that the above nearly totals $1 billion, the same amount that is being investigated for fraud. The same amount it is going to cost to delay approving the new NDIS bill. So, by reducing unnecessary spending, coupled with fraud and a little bit of theatrics and we can save $3 billion. Just like that…

But nothing happens quickly in government. And this isn’t the first rodeo. We have had previous reviews of a similar nature.

The 2019 review of the NDIS Act by Mr David Tune, where all 29 of the recommendations were supported by government. The ‘tune review’ highlighted issues around ‘transparency’, ‘consistency’ and ‘timeliness in decision-making’, combined with many reports of subpar experiences when working with the NDIA.

Alarmingly the ‘every Australian counts’ campaign commented that the Tune review was  “singing to the same old tune” as what has already been well established, and let’s not forget to quote our NDIS Minister, Bill Shorten, who at the time was the Shadow Minister said, we didn’t need “yet another review to tell us that this Government’s neglect of the NDIS is hurting people with disability.”

For those that are interested, I have gone down the rabbit hole of actual actions in response to the Tune review and am happy to share, but this article is already too longwinded.

Getting down from my soapbox now, my question is how do you know where to start in the mess. The government can say “The proposed changes to the legislation are the start. They will enable design and testing of changes with people with disability as further improvements are made to the Scheme.” But that seems like a fairly blunt instrument.

I believe the government may have lost sight of the end goal. The uniting vision:

“An inclusive Australia is one that treats disability as a part of human diversity and understands disability itself as a diverse category”.

I suspect the path of least resistance that service providers create their own operating model which drives efficiencies, reduces your risk and allows you to survive with the changing price guide and other external drivers.

So, if your strategic plan looks anything similar to a version in the last 10 years then you will become collateral damage of the governments inefficiency. Contact us to book in an appointment to do your strategic planning differently.

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