Doorstop Interview, 2000th NDIS Participant in NSW Milestone Event
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JOURNALIST:
You’re here in Newcastle to mark the milestone of the 2,000th NDIS participant here in the Hunter?
FIFIELD:
Today marks the 2,000th participant in the NDIS in the Hunter. 2,000 people with disability getting the better deal they deserve.
JOURNALIST:
And in terms of rolling it out, you’ve got a great blueprint here in the Hunter?
FIFIELD:
It’s terrific. The Hunter is a perfect spot for a trial site. But what’s really important is to learn lessons from the experience here in the region before we move to full nation-wide rollout. It’s also terrific that not only do we have the Hunter trial site, we also have another three trial sites around Australia. And there are now over 5,000 people around Australia who are participants in the NDIS.
JOURNALIST:
Has it been a bit of a hard sell?
FIFIELD:
Not at all. I think the Australian people instinctively knew that we needed to do better by Australians with disability. And in the Budget we’ve just had we’ve honoured our pre-election commitment to support the delivery of the NDIS nation-wide.
JOURNALIST:
There were worries leading into the Budget about the Scheme. But you say you’ve delivered it and more?
FIFIELD:
There was speculation, largely fuelled by the Opposition, that we wouldn’t honour our commitment to the NDIS. And that’s unfortunate, because the NDIS should be something that is above partisanship. But we did allocate additional money in the Budget for the NDIS – an extra $44 million that the previous government had wanted to take away in an efficiency dividend. We didn’t think that was right. So we put that money back into the NDIS.
JOURNALIST:
And it’s important to have that partnership with the state here?
FIFIELD:
Absolutely. Minister John Ajaka and the Baird Government are great partners in the delivery of the NDIS. I think it really serves as a model for the Commonwealth and state governments working together.
JOURNALIST:
There was a parliamentary enquiry that spoke to residents about issues relating to the NDIS. How did that go? Did you learn from it?
FIFIELD:
Mal Brough is chairing the parliamentary committee, which is oversighting the NDIS. The appointment of that committee was a decision of this government, because we think a venture as significant as the NDIS, which is going to be supporting 460,000 people at full rollout, that will have a budget of $22 billion, should have appropriate scrutiny. What the parliamentary committee have found at hearings from launch sites around the country is that, on the whole, participants have had good experiences. But they’ve also heard that it’s a challenge for service providers because it’s a new way of delivering funding. Historically funding has gone to service providers via the state government. The NDIS is going to see money going to individuals. So it’s an adjustment for service providers.
JOURNALIST:
And how are you going to overcome that?
FIFIELD:
Well part of the purpose of the trial sites is to learn lessons so that adjustments can be made before full national roll out.
JOURNALIST:
What do you think about what the New South Wales Government is doing? We’ve seen many providers shut down, the Stockton centre which is a disability service.
FIFIELD:
In most states and territories, direct delivery of disability services is something that is most often done by private and not for profit providers. The New South Wales Government have decided that they won’t be in the business of direct service delivery. That will mean greater opportunity for private providers and not for profit services.
JOURNALIST:
What do you say to people that are scared about that? There is a lot of fear about that move?
FIFIELD:
Change can be unsettling, but the important thing is that the New South Wales Government works with the NDIS Agency to reassure families that ultimately the choice as to the sort of supports they have will be theirs.
JOURNALIST:
Do you agree with what they are doing?
FIFIELD:
It’s entirely a decision for the New South Wales Government. They’re really following the approach that pretty much all other state governments have taken which is that governments shouldn’t be in the business of direct service provision. Governments should be the funders and it should be left to private and not for profit organisations to deliver services.
JOURNALIST:
What would you say as Newcastle as a launch site, how is it all going?
FIFIELD:
Fabulous. In one word. Newcastle is a great place for a trial site. There are very strong disability organisations in Newcastle. The community are very supportive of the NDIS. And it’s good having a trial in a fairly contained geographical region. The Hunter really ticks every box as a trial site.