Skip to main content

Defend Our NDIS

 Defend our NDIS; people have had enough of cuts and changes to the NDIS. The Every Australian Counts campaign has organised a national day of action and events across Australia to take place on 28th of April. 

I have been involved in the NDIS from the initial trial phase through to today. People may remember that I was involved in an advertising campaign spruiking the benefits to come once the scheme was up and running. 

‘You’re in charge! Yes we are, aren’t we!’

For awhile this was the truth for participants like myself. I have been very lucky and received 90 percent of what I need from NDIS. 

The question is would I have received the same benefits if I was not a skilled disability advocate? 

People with disabilities want the original version of the scheme that was promised without having to fight for a reasonable request. It would be a more efficient scheme if the government put the millions of dollars in legal fees into service delivery instead. 

According to the Australian Services Union the average participant's package funding level has dropped by 4 percent in the past year. Even the NDIS's own quarterly report shows a funding drop from $71,000 per package to $68,500 per package. 

Now to the average person this might not sound like a lot but let me put these numbers into context. For me a drop in funding of $2,500 can mean the loss of 100 hours of one on one support or the acquisition of a new shower commode chair so I can go to the toilet more comfortably. I have been lucky so far and this hasn’t happened to me but some participants have had their packages cut to up to 40 percent. So imagine what this means for their life and independence. 

I have spent my life feeling like a burden and the Liberal Government with the media rhetoric asking if we can afford to keep the NDIS only makes this feeling worse. How expensive would it be for people with disabilities and the soul of Australia if the Liberal Government succeeds in cutting the NDIS? 

Independent research has shown that for every dollar that the government spends on the NDIS, $2.25 is added to the economy. 

To fix the NDIS we need to stop the waste and cuts and put people back in the centre of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. 

Supporting people with disabilities is so important that is should be above politics but I’m afraid the only way the NDIS will be fixed is if we vote out the Liberal Government in the next election. 



Is That Necessary?


People with disabilities fight for every dollar of support

Until we are left drained and weary. 

I ask you is this reasonable and necessary?

When the government said yes to the NDIS 

We saw this as a victory for people with a disability.


I drove my new wheelchair through the red tape

But then it got caught in my wheels as the scheme took shape.

The powers that be cross out a line item like it’s on a shopping list

Without realising the opportunity for independence that has been missed.


Every bit of core support is given after being bitterly fought.

A mobility aid such as a walking frame is not a fashion accessory or quirk

And should slot easily into the reasonable and necessary framework.

Definitions of disability should not need so much paperwork that you need your own personal secretary.

We have to ask ourselves is that necessary? 


Chris Van Ingen | 26 March 2022

 


Comments

  1. There are hundreds of NDIS providers. They might provide similar services but they'll each do it in their own particular way. Providers are people or organisations who offer services or equipment to people with an NDIS plan.

    The NDIS providers the necessary funding to people with a permanent and significant disability so they can access the supports.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you have a physical disability and want to get involved in your local community, Blue Heart Community Care is the perfect choice for you. We are one of the leading disability support agencies in Melbourne. Our support workers are passionate about helping others and have a wealth of knowledge and experience in facilitating community activities. We will work with you to find an activity that you love, so you can make new friends and feel connected to your community. Taking part in community activities can provide opportunities for growth, learning new skills, and having fun.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Are you looking for a reputable NDIS support coordination provider in Melbourne? One of the greatest service providers in the area is Blue Heart Community Care. You can put your trust in us because the foundation of our company is offering high-quality support coordination services that are customised to meet the demands of each client

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

United in Action (International Day of People with Disability 2023)

 International Day of People with Disability is here again. It is a day to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities while at the same time reminding the world that people with disabilities need access to equality.  This year's UN theme is United in Action to rescue and achieve the sustainable development goals for, with, and by people with disability.  Around this time every year I am blown away by the giants in the world who live with a disability and I am using today's post to highlight just a few.  First let me tell you about Natalie Wade, a passionate lawyer who works in the area of disability rights law. Natalie is also the coauthor of Disability Rights in Real Life Handbook  as well as being the inaugural orator for the Disability Leadership Oration . This will air at 5pm AEDT on ABC TV and ABC iview on the 3 December 2023.  The next person I wish to highlight today is Elly Desmarchelier, a brilliant disability advocate, writer, and national spokesperson for

Here to Hear (RU OK Day 2023)

 When it comes to mental health many people still struggle to have the conversations. RU OK Day 2023 gives everyone the perfect opportunity to let someone know that you are here to hear.  RU OK Day gives everyone the opportunity to ask if you’re okay, listen to the answer, encourage someone struggling with mental health to take action, and to check in.  In my personal mental health journey people have sometimes been reluctant to ask if I was okay because they saw my disability as an obvious sign that I’m not okay. Even medical professionals dismiss my mental health and depression for far too long because ‘of course my cerebral palsy must make me depressed’.  It is important when working in the disability space to treat mental health and physical disability separately.  Anecdotal evidence does suggest that 1 in 2 people with a physical disability will experience mental health struggles in their lifetime but it is important to not make an assumption and never be afraid to ask are you oka

Heaven, Earth, and the Alchemist

 Every Lent and Easter period I rededicate and affirm my Catholic faith.  This year during my period of reflection a strange amalgamation occurred which I hope will not seem as blasphemous if I can explain it properly.  Some truths were revealed to me through the simplicity of the Lord's Prayer and Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist.   I, through baptism and profession of the Creed, am a follower of Christ.  I know it is my mission to become like Christ, to be granted admission into heaven. Part of my role as a Catholic is to create a better world on Earth until I meet God in Heaven.  This Lent and Easter period I have had the thought that the world would be a better place if everyone followed the Lord's Prayer. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.” There was a time in world history where eighty to ninety percent of the population professed to be followers of Christ. Now that number is at thirty percent and dropping in the Western world.  I ask you is