The federal government has allocated Western Australia $55 million so it can trial its own version of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The federal government has allocated Western Australia $55 million so it can trial its own version of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
While all other states and territories have agreed to implement the federal government’s NDIS program, WA Premier Colin Barnett has been reluctant to get on board.
Instead, the state government has opted for a dual trial of both its own funding scheme for disability services - My Way - and the federal NDIS scheme, which the federal government wants in operation across Australia by July 1 2019.
Treasurer Joe Hockey has allocated $825 million to establish a DisabilityCare Australia Fund in the 2014-15 budget handed down yesterday.
The fund will be available for states and territories as they implement the NDIS scheme, with annual contributions from the federal government increasing 3.5 per cent per year from 2015-16 onwards.
States will be able to draw down from the fund when they meet key conditions, such as agreeing to fully roll-out the scheme and achieving milestones related to participation of people with significant and permanent disabilities.
The initial allocation paid out to states and territories will amount to $73.9 million in 2015-16 and increase to $298 million in 2017-18.
If WA agreed to a full roll-out of the NDIS it would receive $8.9 million in 2015-16, $18.4 million in 2016-17, and $19.0 million in 2017-18.
In the meantime, the government has agreed to fund WA $11.8 million to trial the My Way scheme in the Lower South West region from July this year and in the Cockburn/Kwinana region from July 1 2015.
Under My Way, disability services providers will retain their current relationship with the Disability Services Commission and receive advance payments to deliver services. Under the federal NDIS program, service providers would work directly with clients and their carers and submit invoices for services already provided.
The federal government funding allocation for WA's trial of My Way will increase to $43.2 million in 2015-16.
The My Way trial sites will run in parallel with the NDIS trial site which will run in the Perth Hills region for two years from July 1 2014.
