PIAC has joined over 20 major organisations in the disability community in calling on the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to make public the details of appeal cases it is settling with scheme participants, to promote transparency, accountability, and an overall fairer system.
Concerns about the scheme have been outlined in an open letter to the Minister for the NDIS, Stuart Robert.
Currently, 97% of NDIS appeals lodged with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) are settled privately, with the details of those settlements remaining confidential.
This makes it difficult for participants in the scheme to see what supports and funding are provided to people in similar situations and hold the NDIA accountable.
Despite the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS fully adopting PIAC’s recommendation for this information to be made public in December last year, the NDIA and the Government have refused to act.
‘Transparency and accountability are essential to promoting confidence in the system,’ said PIAC Senior Solicitor, Chadwick Wong.
‘Cases that go to the AAT are settled in a black hole of decision-making, with no-one but the NDIA able to compare and assess outcomes. This lack of transparency needs to end.
‘We stand with the disability sector in calling on the Government to promote consistent decision making around settlement outcomes by publishing this information.’
‘People with disability need to have access to consistent, clear information so we know what kinds of supports we can get funding for, and know that the NDIA is making consistent decisions about those supports,’ said Romola Hollywood, Director, Policy and Advocacy, People with Disability Australia.
‘We urge Minister Robert to listen to people with disability, and make sure that the NDIA is working for us,’ said Ms Hollywood.
A copy of the open letter is available here.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gemma Pearce, PIAC Media and Communications Manager: 0478 739 280.