Unfortunately some posters on this thread are speaking out against the government on this issue without a shred of knowledge of the disability sectory (cough lakeland).
I work for a government department providing direct care to disabled individuals. We have basically been informed that in a few years the government wil be getting out of being a service provider due to the fact that private firms are complaining that they cannot compete with government departments for "business from disabled people". Government departments will be able to leave the sector as well due to the NDIS as it wil save the government money-let the people pay and if there is not enough money-TOUGH.
Here in the ACT a respite center recently closed down due to the government implementing and preparing to get out of the business of providing direct care. Some private companies are at the moment competing for the tender of respite services.
When the local government was in control of the respite center they were charging about $400 maybe slightly more a week to provide respite for disabled individuals. People who were unable to pay this amount were in a sense given charity often with reduced fees.
One of the private companies competing for the tender of this service CHARGES $400 A NIGHT for their services. They are very keen to win the tender as disabled people will have a lot of money with the NDIS and they want their money.
Can you see what is happening in this instance-NDIS means cheap or free services will become corporatized and disabled people will have to pay more money for the same services. Disabled people will be seen as walking $ symbols to these private companies, devaluing them as people. I hope when people are granted money through the NDIS they enjoy paying more than double for the same or lesser service.
One of the large private companies which supplies relief staff to the government sector and who wil be poised to become a service provider under the NDIS employs refugees from places like Africa to care for disabled people. I was told that at a epilepsy training course that one individual from Africa said that in his village people who have epilepsy "HAVE THE DEMONS IN THEM AND ARE PUT AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM THE REST OF THE VILLAGERS AS THEY ARE POSSESSED". Most of these refugee workers have incredibly poor English skills and are fast tracked to work. The potential here for life threatening situations is HUGE.
This same company claims that government workers are grossly overpaid and their company will strive to reduce wages when they become a service provider under the NDIS. Lower paid workers under this new system means less satisfied workers who will take out their frustrations on their clients-the quality level of care will fall.
A few years ago here in the ACT a government run nursing home was privatised. Within a year and a half the private company had more deaths than ever in the home and the level of neglect was mind boggling. The government had to step in and take control away from the private company. The private company was able to hide everything without any scrutiny. A government department at least is accountable to a greater extent than a private company, or so we hope. The NDIS will mean crooks at these private companies will be able to hide poor care standards. I hope disabled people are ready for this. Be ready for more and more deaths and be ready for them to be hidden. Government providers set standards for proper care of our vulnerable poeple, with government providers gone can the private providers be trusted to provide high standards-no bloody not in a million years.
Consider also the beaurocracy assosicated with NDIS-having 14 different companies all providing the same type of service to disabled people. These companies will all have executives/office staff etc-how much money will be wasted paying these workers . Much better to have a 50% government and maybe one or two private companies.
In Australia the two most expensive states in regards disability care are QLD and the ACT. The QLD sector has given it's workers three years before the NDIS renders the government departments unable to be service providers.
This NDIS will also engineer hatred towards disabled people. Do you really think some of those workers from Holden/Ford/Toyota will be happy to fork out money in a levy for someone else when they can't put shoes on their own kids feet. Also how can you put a definite figure on how much care will cost especially when costs will rise. The figure this current government is also talking about is STILL not enough-such a scheme as the NDIS needs a hell of a lot more than that and needs flexibility to fluctuate in order to provide what is needed. The scheme labour proposed is just a cheap dream.
I am not a socialist by any means BUT EVEN THE SOCIALIST ALLIANCE IS CALLING THE NDIS A LOAD OF **bleep**. Go and check their website about what they think (unless they have changed their position recently).
The NDIS was rushed in by a desparate government , desperate to cling onto power, and desparate to hold the Liberals captive to their policy. They knew on the face of it that if this scheme was opposed by the Liberals that uninformed people would say "look how horrible those Liberals are, they don't even care about the disabled of this counrty". The truth is Labour thought this would help them to consolidate power at the last and even future elections by holding the Liberals hostage to this policy-even they probably knew in secret that the money they were proposing was nowhere near enough, but as a scheme to win votes it was and is perfect if the scheme is watered down or changed.
The NDIS is essentially a bunch of political garbage brought in by Labour. Service standards will fall, wages will fall, and our poor disabled people will bear the brunt of this failure directly. By considering something like the NDIS it says to me that Labor hate disabled people and it is a great way for Labor governments to put the responsibility back on the community whilst the power brokers enjoy their champagne breakfasts at the expense of disabled people
