Exploring the NDIS: Challenges and Disability Rights

Wednesday, 21 September 2022

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Dylan Alcott, Australian of the Year in 2022, during his acceptance speech called for the guaranteed funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) into the future so that people living with a disability can get the support that they need.

Exploring the NDIS: Challenges and Disability Rights

There has been an exponential increase in the number of legal challenges to the cuts made by the NDIS in the funding of individual plans. Recently, the Minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten, promised to fast-track decisions, encourage a ‘lawyer-free’ alternative dispute resolution process, and promised to put people with disability in charge.

On September 21, the Centre for Law and Social Justice hosted an online webinar, with speakers who had first-hand experience with the NDIS, the legal challenges against the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) at the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and engagement with disability rights. The panel discussed; the gaps that currently exist in funding, how these gaps might be addressed, the backlog of cases at the AAT and the large amount of legal fees spent by the government in reviewing NDIS decisions. The webinar attracted an audience of 40+ people. 

Special thanks to our panel members and Ana Goncalves for chairing the event.

Panel:
Bobby Fish - First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDNA)
Mary-Anne Cosic - Self and community advocate 
Mark Grierson - CEO of Advocacy Law Alliance
Giancarlo de Vera - Senior Manager, policy at People with Disability Australia (PWDA) 

Here's what attendees had to say about the event:

'Thanks to the panelists for important insights about the issues and for also providing some hope going forward.'

'I learnt a lot about the AAT processes and how the NDIS affects not only participants but advocates and families.'

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