Western Australia joins the NDIS
From 1 July 2018, Western Australia will become the final state to officially join the federally administered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
What does this mean:
- The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will assume responsibility for the delivery of the NDIS in WA.
- WA NDIS participants will transfer to the NDIS between 1 April 2018 and 31 December 2018.
- People receiving state or Commonwealth disability supports, including new participants, will continue to transition to the NDIS from 1 July 2018.
According to the Minister for Social Services Dan Tehan's media release, the Commonwealth and WA Governments will work together to implement the transition to the NDIS.
"The NDIS will be life-changing for Western Australian participants, by supporting people with disability, their families, and carers to play a greater role in their communities," Mr Tehan said.
Stephen Dawson, WA Minister for Disability Services, said the NDIS was expected to support about 39,000 people in WA with permanent and significant disability by July 2020.
“This will mean a significant increase in funding and services, and will deliver an unprecedented availability of support for people, many of whom have not been able to access anything of this kind before.
“I have also announced the establishment of a Sector Transition Fund, with a commitment of $20.3 million over the next two years. This fund will support the disability sector to transition to the Australia-wide NDIS and ensure that quality providers, particularly those who support people with highly complex needs, can maintain their standards of service," Mr Dawson said.
