Overview of the 2019 Review of the NDIS Act and NDIS Participant Service Guarantee
Working to improve the NDIS
During the 2019 Federal Election, the Australian Government promised to create a Participant Service Guarantee for participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme – the NDIS.
This is intended to improve people’s experiences with the NDIS.
The Government has asked an independent expert to review the laws of the NDIS. This is called the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (the NDIS Act). The expert will also review the NDIS Rules.
The Participant Service Guarantee will be developed as part of this review.
Why is the Participant Service Guarantee important?
The NDIS is an important social reform. It is expected to be supporting up to 500,000 people with disability in the next five years.
Lots of work has been done already to make sure people who are eligible for the NDIS are getting the supports they need. However, more work needs to be done.
While many participants have had excellent experiences with the NDIS, other people with disability have experienced frustrations.
NDIS participants, their families and carers, advocacy groups and the providers of disability services have told the government that some aspects of the NDIS do not meet their expectations.
Examples of these aspects include how long it takes to get an NDIS plan, the planning process, getting a plan review and decisions made about their plans.
The Participant Service Guarantee will look at setting rules and timelines so people know how long different stages of the NDIS process will take.
The Guarantee will be legislated, or become law, which will help us deliver an NDIS where people’s experiences are connected, consistent and straightforward.
When will the Participant Service Guarantee start?
The Participant Service Guarantee will operate from 1 July 2020.
How can I be involved?
We want to work with you to get the Participant Service Guarantee right.
It is important that people with disability, as well as their families and carers, and other supporters tell us about their experiences with the NDIS so we can fix the problems.
We also need to know what you expect from the NDIS so we can do our best to meet those expectations.
You can have your say by:
- completing a survey online
- making a written submission
- attending a face-to-face community workshops in every state and territory
The survey and a discussion paper will be available in a variety of languages online so you can print them out, fill them in, and send them back to NDISConsultations@dss.gov.au or post them to:
NDIS Consultations
Department of Social Services
GPO Box 9820
Canberra ACT 2601
More information and resources will be available over the next couple of weeks, and responses to the survey and the discussion paper will be accepted until the end of October.
The Department of Social Services is organising this public consultation. Please check in regularly at engage.dss.gov.au – look for ‘current consultations’ and open up the NDIS Participant Service Guarantee and Act Review to see the resources available and get updates.
Do I have to be an NDIS participant to get involved?
No, you do not have to be a current NDIS participant to have your say. You may be someone who has tried to access the NDIS or may be considering it.
The Government is looking to hear from people with direct experience of the NDIS, including individuals, advisory bodies, advocates, representative groups, carers groups and provider groups.
What information do I need to give?
If you choose to fill out the survey, you will be asked questions about your experience with the NDIS. For example:
- the time it took to get a plan or review
- how you felt about the decisions made during your plan or review
- whether you received enough information
- how decisions were communicated to you
The face to face consultations will include questions on specific issues. For example, some participants, such as children, those needing assistive technology, home modifications, specialist disability accommodation, and other services requiring a quote or further approval as part of their NDIS plan have experienced particular frustrations.
The consultations will help find solutions to those issues.
If you choose to make a written submission, you can read the discussion paper and then tell us about any aspect of the NDIS that you have concerns about.
All responses – survey, face to face and written submissions – will be considered as part of the NDIS Act review and the development of the Participant Service Guarantee. No personal information is being sought as part of this consultation process.
Overview Easy Read version
Easy Read overview of the Review of the NDIS Act and the new NDIS Participant Service Guarantee
- Easy Read version – Overview of the Review of the NDIS Act and NDIS Participant Service Guarantee PDF [7,956KB]
Listen to PDF (opens in new window) - Easy Read version – Overview of the Review of the NDIS Act and NDIS Participant Service Guarantee DOCX [37KB]
Overview AUSLAN version
AUSLAN version – Overview of the Review of the NDIS Act and the new NDIS Participant Service Guarantee.
Working to improve the NDIS
During the 2019 Federal Election, the Australian Government promised to create a Participant Service Guarantee for participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme – the NDIS.
This is intended to improve people’s experiences with the NDIS.
The Government has asked an independent expert to review the laws of the NDIS. This is called the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (the NDIS Act). The expert will also review the NDIS Rules.
The Participant Service Guarantee will be developed as part of this review
Why is the Participant Service Guarantee important?
The NDIS is an important social reform. It is expected to be supporting up to 500,000 people with disability in the next five years.
Lots of work has been done already to make sure people who are eligible for the NDIS are getting the supports they need. However, more work needs to be done.
While many participants have had excellent experiences with the NDIS, other people with disability have experienced frustrations.
NDIS participants, their families and carers, advocacy groups and the providers of disability services have told the government that some aspects of the NDIS do not meet their expectations.
Examples of these aspects include how long it takes to get an NDIS plan, the planning process, getting a plan review and decisions made about their plans.
The Participant Service Guarantee will look at setting rules and timelines so people know how long different stages of the NDIS process will take.
The Guarantee will be legislated, or become law, which will help us deliver an NDIS where people’s experiences are connected, consistent and straightforward.
When will the Participant Service Guarantee start?
The Participant Service Guarantee will operate from 1 July 2020.
How can I be involved?
We want to work with you to get the Participant Service Guarantee right.
It is important that people with disability, as well as their families and carers, and other supporters tell us about their experiences with the NDIS so we can fix the problems.
We also need to know what you expect from the NDIS so we can do our best to meet those expectations.
We want you to have your say
The Department of Social Services has established a public consultation process so your views can be shared. Go to the DSS Engage website at ‘engage.dss.gov.au’ and look for the NDIS Act Review and Participant Service Guarantee under ‘current consultations’.
You can get involved by completing an online survey, making a written submission, or attending a face-to-face public meeting.
The details of the public meetings will be announced in the following weeks, with specific meetings being held to hear from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, and culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability, as well as other members of these broader communities.
The public meetings will be held across the next few months.
Responses to the survey and the consultation paper will be accepted until the end of October.
And both the survey and the key discussion questions we want you to think about will be available in Easy Read and languages other than English. Check back on DSS Engage regularly for updates.
Do I have to be an NDIS participant to get involved?
No, you do not have to be a current NDIS participant to have your say. You may be someone who has tried to access the NDIS or may be considering it.
The Government is looking to hear from people with direct experience of the NDIS, including individuals, advisory bodies, advocates, representative groups, carers groups and provider groups.
What information do I need to give?
If you choose to fill out the survey, you will be asked questions about your experience with the NDIS. For example:
- the time it took to get a plan or review
- how you felt about the decisions made during your plan or review
- whether you received enough information
- how decisions were communicated to you
The face to face consultations will include questions on specific issues. For example, some participants, such as children, those needing assistive technology, home modifications, specialist disability accommodation, and other services requiring a quote or further approval as part of their NDIS plan have experienced particular frustrations.
The consultations will help find solutions to those issues.
If you choose to make a written submission, you can read the discussion paper and then tell us about any aspect of the NDIS that you have concerns about.
All responses – survey, face to face and written submissions – will be considered as part of the NDIS Act review and the development of the Participant Service Guarantee. No personal information will be sought as part of this consultation.
Thank you for watching, and we hope you can get involved.