The Final Report of the Independent Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been released.
Our report and its recommendations are now publically available on our website.
You can also find the Guide to our Final Report. In this guide you will find information on the topics that we heard matter most to people with disability and their families. You can also find fact sheets and frequently asked questions on our website.
It has been an enormous privilege to work together with the disability community on the Review. Our work started back in October 2022. We were asked to look at ways to improve both the experience of participants in the scheme and their outcomes. We were also asked to look at ways to make sure the scheme is sustainable so it is around for years to come.
It was a big job. We knew we would need all of the panel’s combined experience and expertise.
But most of all, we knew we needed all of the experience and expertise of the disability community.
We wanted to do this Review differently from other government reviews. We wanted to make sure we heard from as many people as possible. So, we consulted very widely and deeply. We reached out to people who are often missed or ignored. We looked at the issues people with disability, their families and the disability community told us needed to improve or change. All in all we heard from 10,000 people, received 4000 submissions, held on average 26 engagements each month and collected more than 2000 hours of deeply personal stories from people with disability. We also worked with a small group of people to test our changes to the current planning and budget setting process. You can read more about all of our consultations in the final report and in the guide.
In our Final Report, we make 26 recommendations. Underneath each recommendation there are a series of detailed actions – there are 139 actions in total. We have also pulled together a lot of very detailed information to help explain our recommendations. That is called the Supporting Analysis. You can find all of this work on our website.
We have designed all the recommendations and actions to work together. They must be considered as a total package of reforms.
Our view is that you can’t fix the NDIS without fixing everything around it. Our recommendations go beyond the NDIS. We want to create a new connected system of support, including accessible and inclusive mainstream services and a new system of foundational supports, as well as the NDIS. We want to make sure the 2.5 million Australians with disability under the age of 65 receive the support they need when and where they need it.
People came together to fight for the NDIS more than ten years ago. We hope everyone will come together now to make sure the NDIS delivers on that promise.
We thank each of you who have contributed to our Review, for trusting us with your experiences, for your vision for a more inclusive and fairer Australia and for your ideas for change. We could not have done our job without you.
This is the last Review Round Up from us. As our report is now published, our communication channels will be closed. The website will remain available for you to find the report materials and our work. The Department of Social Services will take on the recommendations and the next steps of the changes. More details are on the Department of Social Services website.
With best wishes and our gratitude,
Bruce, Lisa, Dougie, Judy, Kevin, Kirsten and Stephen
(The NDIS Review Panel)