Media Release by The Hon Jane Prentice MP

NDIS continues rollout across Northern Territory

Territorians living in the Darwin Urban and Central Australian regions will join more than 160,000 Australians already participating in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) from 1 July 2018.

Assistant Minister for Disability Services, Jane Prentice said the rollout of the NDIS in two new Northern Territory regions was an important milestone for people with disability, their families, carers and the broader local community.

“I am pleased to announce the continued rollout of the NDIS in the Northern Territory and I welcome people who are existing state clients and other eligible residents into the Scheme,” Mrs Prentice said.

“The NDIS is one of the largest social policy reforms in Australia’s history and is already empowering 729 Territorians with disability.”

According to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Market Position Statement for the Northern Territory, the number of people receiving disability support in the Darwin Urban and Central Australian regions is forecast to grow to 4800 by 2020.

“The NDIS will also create around 1325 jobs locally and generate local investment which will ensure people with disability have the assistance they need to help them achieve their goals and participate in their local communities,” Mrs Prentice said.

“Over the coming years, the market for disability supports will grow to $170 million in the Darwin Urban region and $60 million in the Central Australian region as a result of the NDIS rolling out across the Northern Territory.”

The NDIA is working with Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) and Local Area Coordination (LAC) partners to deliver the NDIS in local communities across Australia. ECEI and LAC partners help participants navigate the NDIS and connect them with other community services, where appropriate.

LAC services will be delivered by APM in the Darwin Urban Local Government Areas of Darwin, Litchfield, and Palmerston, while ECEI services will be delivered by the Australian Early Childhood Association Northern Territory (ECANT) in these Local Government Areas.

Once fully implemented in 2020, the NDIS is expected to support more than 6500 people with disability in the Northern Territory and about 460,000 people nationally. The NDIS is expected to boost the Northern Territory economy by $320 million and bring more than 1,325 new jobs in disability services to the Territory.