Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, has joined Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu in welcoming the recent release of the Productivity Commission report into a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) saying it has the potential to transform the lives of people with a disability, their families and carers.

“I have been a strong advocate of the introduction of the NDIS as I believe it is the only way that the disability sector will be appropriately serviced into the future.

“The Coalition has consistently advocated for a better deal for people living with a disability, their families and their carers and led the push for a NDIS from Opposition.

“The disability sector presently faces many challenges in relation to provision of service delivery across a range of areas and these are challenges that will increase in the future, so we need to plan for the future,” said Mr Bull.

Mr Baillieu added “since being elected, we have renewed and stepped up our efforts, consistently and strongly advocating for the introduction of a long-term disability care and support scheme and its trial in Victoria.”

“The government has also provided comprehensive advice to the Productivity Commission on how the scheme should work based on Victoria’s innovative approach to disability service delivery.

“We have continued to maintain that a National Disability Insurance Scheme must provide:

-  Certainty of funding, to provide life-time supports to people with disability, their families and carers;

-  Simplicity in gaining access to specialist disability and universal services;

-  Fairness in the application of eligibility criteria, assessment and support to people irrespective of where they live or their disability; and

-  Choice to give people with disability, their families and carers control over their supports.

“It is now up to governments across Australia to use the good work done by the Productivity Commission to make the NDIS a workable, sustainable reality.”

Mr Baillieu said, “Victoria is keen to be at the forefront of the implementation of a NDIS, and the Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge has this morning reiterated to Minister Jenny Macklin Victoria’s commitment to implementing the first-stage rollout of the scheme here in Victoria”.

“We are pleased that the Productivity Commission has taken note of our overarching support for a NDIS, as well as other specific suggestions such as the need to include people with significant and enduring psychiatric disabilities in the scheme and the need to urgently develop a common assessment tool.”