NDIS REVIEW REPORT RELEASED

The NDIS Review Report was formally released yesterday, 7th November 2023, which included recommendations to the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments that, if implemented, will have a significant impact on our sector, members and NDIS Participants.

DIA has spent the last 36 hours combing through the NDIS Review Report and 1200 page Supporting Analysis and providing assistance to our members and the sector. Some of the recommendations proposed by the NDIS review DIA strongly supports, such as universal Navigational supports delivered by independent organisations, however there are also recommendations which have left many of our members and our sector questioning the future of the services they have built and the support they provide to NDIS participants over the past 10 years.

DIA made a significant submission to the NDIS Review as well as providing significant submissions and evidence to the Disability Royal Commission. DIA stands with our members, our sector and our practitioners. We understand that some of the report may be difficult to absorb in such a short time. DIA has left some space over the past 24 hours for the sector to express their raw emotion and thoughts to this report before making a public statement.

DIA notes that these recommendations come with a long 5 year timeline and also recommends significant co-design and with participants, people with a disability, providers and sector experts before trials and pilots are undertaken to find the best way to implement these recommendations. In simple non government speak – we encourage our sector to:

- - Take a big deep breath, these proposed changes are not happening tomorrow, next week, before Christmas or even early next year;
  - Keep supporting NDIS Participants with the high quality, critical and vital work that our members deliver each and every day; and
  - Come together as a sector, roll up our sleeves and get to work to navigate through the recommendations and developments over the coming years to ensure people with a disability continue to receive the supports they need to live a good and inclusive life.

Over the coming weeks, months and years DIA will represent our sector by responding to the recommendations, design, developments and any transition requirements. DIA is already speaking to and meeting with the NDIA to ensure our sector is supported and engaged over the next period of the NDIS.

DIA called for an NDIS Reform Implementation Taskforce and is pleased to see recommendations for an NDIS Review Implementation Advisory Committee. An advisory body led by people with disability, their representatives, providers, and critical stakeholders, coupled with government funding, is essential for ensuring a co-designed, safe, and practical implementation of reforms.

DIA is calling on the Commonwealth Government to include DIA in this NDIS Review Implementation Advisory Committee given the nature of the proposed transition of our sector and the impacts on the participants that our members and sector support.

The pathway forward is a marathon and not a sprint. DIA will openly and regularly engage directly with our sector as we navigate through the NDIS Review and Disability Royal Commission Recommendations. This will including with tools, materials and information and direct support to our sector.

DIA has online engagement sessions scheduled for next week and we encourage all Plan Managers and Support Coordinators to attend these. DIA will unpack the recommendations, what we think they mean for our sector, proposed time frames for the recommendations and our CEO Mr Jess Harper will answer every single question from attendees. Follow the below links to register for these sessions.

These sessions are free for DIA members, please use you member discount code when securing your attendance. The sessions are also open to non DIA members to attend. These sessions will be recorded and sent to our members and those non-members who have attended.

SUPPORT COORDINARTION REGISTRATION - CLICK HERE

PLAN MANAGEMENT REGISTRATION - CLICK HERE

CALLS FOR ASSISTANCE

Over the past 36 hours, since the release of the NDIS Review Report, understandably, DIA has received contact from more that 1,100 providers in our sector. Given the nature of the NDIS Review Report recommendations some of these providers have expressed serious emotional distress as to their future and current mental state.

Support is available to anyone who needs it:

BEYOND BLUE
If you’re going through a hard time right now, the Beyond Blue Support Service offers a free and confidential counseling service.

Call them on 1300 22 4636, chat online or e-mail them 24/7.

Their counselors will listen and help you find the extra mental health help you need.

LIFELINE

Lifeline offers confidential, one-to-one support for people who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping or staying safe. Crisis support is available 24/7 via phone, text, or online chat.

Call them on 13 11 14

000

If your life is in danger please call 000

BACKGROUND FACTS ON OUR SECTOR

As at 30th September 2023:
- - 61% of all NDIS Participant engage support to manage their NDIS funding from a Registered Plan Management Provider (Plan Managers). With more that 55% of all NDIS Payments flowing through Plan Managers being dispersed to 173,546 providers nationally.
  - 45% of all NDIS Participants are funded to receive navigational, capacity building and co-ordination supports from a Support Coordinator.
There are close to 9,000 Support Coordination and Plan Management business operating in the intermediaries sector of the NDIS which engage more that 48,000 workers, with over 30% of these workers identifying as having direct lived and carer experience of disability. DIA believes the intermediary sector to be one of the largest employers of people with a disability and carers of people with a disability in Australia.
The Support Coordination and Plan Management is made up a diverse group of provider types with 90% of the sector made up of Small to Medium businesses (Mum and Dad operators) with around 10% being larger entities. The vast majority of our sector operate on exceptionally tiny margins with 80% of Support Coordinators and 55% of Plan Managers reporting making a loss/deficit or just breaking even in the 2021-22 Financial Year.
Plan Management is the only support in the NDIS that is expressly described and enacted within the NDIS Act, including its mandatory registration with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The implementation of NDIS Plan Management commenced with the introduction of the NDIS in 2013.
Plan Management and Support Coordination supports have not received an increase to price limits for 4 consecutive years.
Intermediaries Fees:
- - Plan Management and Support Coordination funding is provided separately to all other NDIS support funding. NDIS Participants are not getting less supports elsewhere because the have funding for a Support Coordinator or Plan Manager.
  - Plan Managers are paid a flat monthly fee $104.45 for their service for each participant they service. Plan Managers and Support Coordinators do not operate on a ‘clip the ticket’ model which is expressly forbidden within the NDIS. As at 30th June 2023 Plan Management fees represented less than 2.65% of the funds that they claimed from the NDIA on behalf of NDIS Participants and dispersed to the more that 170,000 providers nationally. This is less that some credit card company charge for strictly transaction services.
  - Support Coordinators are paid an hourly rate for their service based on the level of expertise required within price limits set by the NDIA. The amount of hours funded within a NDIS Participant’s plan is a Reasonable and Necessary decision made by the NDIA.
In the 2021-22 Financial Year over 8% of the our workforce left our sector to secure work in adjacent sectors and industries.

MEDIA REQUESTS

For media enquiries or to arrange an interview with Mr Jess Harper, please contact ceo.office@intermediaries.org.au

RESOURCES

We will keep the sector updated as more information is available. In the meantime, below are link to what has been released so far:

NDIS Review Final Report: For more information on intermediaries pages 97-106 and 157-165
Supporting Analysis for the Final Report: The 1,297 pages of explanation for how the NDIS Review came to its recomendations.
Fact sheets: If you filter the list of resources by ‘fact sheets’ you’ll find a great set of resources that break down some of the biggest recommendations in 1-2 page formats.

DIA is a members-based organisation. We are only able to do the work that we do because of the ongoing support of our members. Thank you to all DIA members that continue to support the work we do. If you’re a provider delivering Support Coordination or Plan Management are not yet a member, you should consider joining.