Latest news with #NationalDisabilityInsuranceScheme
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Rogue providers run rife in disability support sector
Rampant rule-breaking is going unnoticed within Australia's disability support sector, an industry body says as the workplace watchdog launches a probe into rogue conduct. Less than three per cent of Australia's 260,000 NDIS providers are registered, peak body National Disability Services notes as it welcomes the investigation announced on Tuesday by the Fair Work Ombudsman. "We do not know what is occurring in the unregistered market, because there is no oversight so seeking to understand that is a positive thing," chief executive Michael Perusco told AAP. His organisation has heard of countless instances of poor quality and unregistered providers exploiting staff and participants, he said, also praising the probe for shining a light on those practices. The ombudsman has received tens of thousands of inquiries, anonymous reports, requests for assistance and self-reported breaches each year. Back-payments for workers were close to $68 million between 2020 and 2024, equating to about $13.6 million every year. The peak body has pushed for all National Disability Insurance Scheme providers to be registered in a proportionate system, where regulatory burdens would be higher for services completing complex work. "In the absence of that reform, we are concerned that unsafe practices are going unnoticed," Mr Perusco said. Previous investigations have uncovered widespread and large scale non-compliance in the sector, with ombudsman Anna Booth holding "serious" concerns. The ombudsman aims to identify the root causes of non-compliance then work with industry and government to improve compliance. Key themes of breaches are small and unregistered providers, higher labour costs, an uptick in digital gig platform providers and financial pressures, the ombudsman said. Workers say they face strong demand for their services, high levels of casualisation in a predominantly female workforce, quick staff turnover and tight profit margins. Ms Booth said the sector had relied heavily on migrant workers who are vulnerable to exploitation due to their reluctance to complain, despite having the same rights as other workers. But she warned change won't be instantaneous. The inquiry has been welcomed by the Australian Services Union, the largest group representing disability support workers. "It often feels like a 'whack-a-mole' exercise with underpayments popping up all over the place in this rapidly growing sector," union spokesman Angus McFarland said. The inquiry's first phase will run for 18 months and involve hearing from workers, stakeholders and clients who require disability support. Rampant rule-breaking is going unnoticed within Australia's disability support sector, an industry body says as the workplace watchdog launches a probe into rogue conduct. Less than three per cent of Australia's 260,000 NDIS providers are registered, peak body National Disability Services notes as it welcomes the investigation announced on Tuesday by the Fair Work Ombudsman. "We do not know what is occurring in the unregistered market, because there is no oversight so seeking to understand that is a positive thing," chief executive Michael Perusco told AAP. His organisation has heard of countless instances of poor quality and unregistered providers exploiting staff and participants, he said, also praising the probe for shining a light on those practices. The ombudsman has received tens of thousands of inquiries, anonymous reports, requests for assistance and self-reported breaches each year. Back-payments for workers were close to $68 million between 2020 and 2024, equating to about $13.6 million every year. The peak body has pushed for all National Disability Insurance Scheme providers to be registered in a proportionate system, where regulatory burdens would be higher for services completing complex work. "In the absence of that reform, we are concerned that unsafe practices are going unnoticed," Mr Perusco said. Previous investigations have uncovered widespread and large scale non-compliance in the sector, with ombudsman Anna Booth holding "serious" concerns. The ombudsman aims to identify the root causes of non-compliance then work with industry and government to improve compliance. Key themes of breaches are small and unregistered providers, higher labour costs, an uptick in digital gig platform providers and financial pressures, the ombudsman said. Workers say they face strong demand for their services, high levels of casualisation in a predominantly female workforce, quick staff turnover and tight profit margins. Ms Booth said the sector had relied heavily on migrant workers who are vulnerable to exploitation due to their reluctance to complain, despite having the same rights as other workers. But she warned change won't be instantaneous. The inquiry has been welcomed by the Australian Services Union, the largest group representing disability support workers. "It often feels like a 'whack-a-mole' exercise with underpayments popping up all over the place in this rapidly growing sector," union spokesman Angus McFarland said. The inquiry's first phase will run for 18 months and involve hearing from workers, stakeholders and clients who require disability support. Rampant rule-breaking is going unnoticed within Australia's disability support sector, an industry body says as the workplace watchdog launches a probe into rogue conduct. Less than three per cent of Australia's 260,000 NDIS providers are registered, peak body National Disability Services notes as it welcomes the investigation announced on Tuesday by the Fair Work Ombudsman. "We do not know what is occurring in the unregistered market, because there is no oversight so seeking to understand that is a positive thing," chief executive Michael Perusco told AAP. His organisation has heard of countless instances of poor quality and unregistered providers exploiting staff and participants, he said, also praising the probe for shining a light on those practices. The ombudsman has received tens of thousands of inquiries, anonymous reports, requests for assistance and self-reported breaches each year. Back-payments for workers were close to $68 million between 2020 and 2024, equating to about $13.6 million every year. The peak body has pushed for all National Disability Insurance Scheme providers to be registered in a proportionate system, where regulatory burdens would be higher for services completing complex work. "In the absence of that reform, we are concerned that unsafe practices are going unnoticed," Mr Perusco said. Previous investigations have uncovered widespread and large scale non-compliance in the sector, with ombudsman Anna Booth holding "serious" concerns. The ombudsman aims to identify the root causes of non-compliance then work with industry and government to improve compliance. Key themes of breaches are small and unregistered providers, higher labour costs, an uptick in digital gig platform providers and financial pressures, the ombudsman said. Workers say they face strong demand for their services, high levels of casualisation in a predominantly female workforce, quick staff turnover and tight profit margins. Ms Booth said the sector had relied heavily on migrant workers who are vulnerable to exploitation due to their reluctance to complain, despite having the same rights as other workers. But she warned change won't be instantaneous. The inquiry has been welcomed by the Australian Services Union, the largest group representing disability support workers. "It often feels like a 'whack-a-mole' exercise with underpayments popping up all over the place in this rapidly growing sector," union spokesman Angus McFarland said. The inquiry's first phase will run for 18 months and involve hearing from workers, stakeholders and clients who require disability support. Rampant rule-breaking is going unnoticed within Australia's disability support sector, an industry body says as the workplace watchdog launches a probe into rogue conduct. Less than three per cent of Australia's 260,000 NDIS providers are registered, peak body National Disability Services notes as it welcomes the investigation announced on Tuesday by the Fair Work Ombudsman. "We do not know what is occurring in the unregistered market, because there is no oversight so seeking to understand that is a positive thing," chief executive Michael Perusco told AAP. His organisation has heard of countless instances of poor quality and unregistered providers exploiting staff and participants, he said, also praising the probe for shining a light on those practices. The ombudsman has received tens of thousands of inquiries, anonymous reports, requests for assistance and self-reported breaches each year. Back-payments for workers were close to $68 million between 2020 and 2024, equating to about $13.6 million every year. The peak body has pushed for all National Disability Insurance Scheme providers to be registered in a proportionate system, where regulatory burdens would be higher for services completing complex work. "In the absence of that reform, we are concerned that unsafe practices are going unnoticed," Mr Perusco said. Previous investigations have uncovered widespread and large scale non-compliance in the sector, with ombudsman Anna Booth holding "serious" concerns. The ombudsman aims to identify the root causes of non-compliance then work with industry and government to improve compliance. Key themes of breaches are small and unregistered providers, higher labour costs, an uptick in digital gig platform providers and financial pressures, the ombudsman said. Workers say they face strong demand for their services, high levels of casualisation in a predominantly female workforce, quick staff turnover and tight profit margins. Ms Booth said the sector had relied heavily on migrant workers who are vulnerable to exploitation due to their reluctance to complain, despite having the same rights as other workers. But she warned change won't be instantaneous. The inquiry has been welcomed by the Australian Services Union, the largest group representing disability support workers. "It often feels like a 'whack-a-mole' exercise with underpayments popping up all over the place in this rapidly growing sector," union spokesman Angus McFarland said. The inquiry's first phase will run for 18 months and involve hearing from workers, stakeholders and clients who require disability support.
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
'They would withdraw care': cracks in NDIS costing Hunter families thousands
IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them. IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them. IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them. IT'S the system meant to offer them a safety net, but a funding crackdown is leaving some National Disability Insurance Scheme participants falling through the cracks. NDIS participants are being put at risk with lengthy delays and questionable decisions endangering the lives of those left without funded support and nowhere to go. Hospitals have become a last resort while families and service providers are being stranded with hefty bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. Industry insiders say that a broad-brush approach to a system-wide crackdown on NDIS spending is robbing those who genuinely rely on it. In two separate cases reported to the Newcastle Herald, people living with quadraplegia have had to rely on the goodwill of service providers for hands-on, life-sustaining care. Those service providers, and the families of those individuals, are paying out-of-pocket to ensure those supports remain in place. So far they have been unable to recover those costs due to what they describe as a combination of bureaucratic red tape, a lack of training and oversight, and the unavailability of NDIS staff with the experience, knowledge, or authority to address or escalate issues in a timely way. In the case of 52-year-old Jamie Phillips of Bolton Point, heavily reliant on his partner as well as funded supports, his NDIS journey has been difficult form the start. Karen Johnson, 58, works full-time as well as being Mr Phillips' full-time carer seven nights per week, starting at 4.30pm each day when she gets home from work. Night time care involves hoisting Mr Phillips out of bed and into a chair, onto a commode, in and out of the shower, into fresh clothes and hoisting him back onto the bed. He requires special boots, a CPAP machine, medications at 8pm and 11pm, and a catheter. She is preparing to purchase a $10,000 bed to enable her to sleep in the same room. "For three years he's been living in our loungeroom, he gets dressed there, he gets wheeled through the house naked to get showered, and wheeled back to go to bed," she said. Mr Phillips became a quadraplegic in 2022 after a botched medical procedure almost took his life, she said. He became an NDIS participant in December the same year. "Every plan we've had, we've had an issue with," Ms Johnson said. "It was underfunded or incorrectly funded, then last year his funding fell short. We had two agencies involved, both of them kept working for us without getting paid up until one who we paid because they said if we didn't pay they would withdraw their care." That was a bill for $21,000. The second company, which continued to provide services, has never been paid, she said, to the tune of about $15,000. "They just didn't get their money," Ms Johnson said. "This year Jamie got compensation for medical malpractice, so when we got the compensation, we had to pay back $1.9 million back to NDIS because that's the money they paid for him in the two years prior," she said. According to the civil court, compensation is calculated on the assumption that a quadraplegic has a life expectancy of eight years post-injury, but according to the NDIS it's about 22 years, Ms Johnson said. "So they took the $1.9 million and his funding will be cut down by around about $100,000 per year while he's alive, and so while we we're talking to them about that, that lady said she wasn't involved in the section where we could get our money back, and we've just never heard anything more about it." Mr Phillips has also lost out on occupational therapy due to NDIS-related cuts to allied health services impacting in-home care, Ms Johnson said. Jonathan Castellan, also a quadraplegic, was wheeled into the NDIS office at Charlestown earlier this month by support workers desperate to help him get the funding he needed. Already thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, it has been the dedication of those support workers that has kept Mr Castellan alive. "They didn't seem to understand how he couldn't spend a few days at home by himself," his sister, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald. Mr Castellan, 63, lives with quadraplegia following a spinal cord injury, as well as autism and dysphasia. He is catheterised and requires 24-hour care, but his sister said that due to an escalation in his care needs after a hospital stay, which meant he needed more support overnight, he ran out of funding. While the likelihood that he would run out of funding on that basis had been raised with the NDIS beforehand, delays meant his carers had no choice but to work without pay, she said. "You cannot ring the NDIS and speak to anyone who can actually do anything," an associated carer said. "They can't even escalate it and say to someone that we've got this major problem here - even if it was to release funding so we could continue caring for him until they can sort it out. "They don't read the reports. They will spend more money fighting the wheelchair than it would cost to buy the wheelchair." In both cases, family members and care teams considered hospitalisation as an option, but already hospitals are struggling with aged care and NDIS bedblock, and have pushed back. A spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which governs the scheme, said the safety and welfare of NDIS participants was its "top priority". "While providers should be spending within a participant's funded support levels, the agency can prioritise requests for further funding, when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances," the spokesperson said. "In these cases, the NDIA will work closely with participants and review supporting evidence to ensure participant safety." It is understood the NDIA disputes the sequence of events as relayed by family members and support workers, and said that the required level of supporting evidence had not been submitted. Further, while the agency can prioritise requests for increased supports when there is a risk to a participant through a change in their circumstances, early exhaustion of plan funding does not automatically initiate a plan review or the approval of a new NDIS plan. The Herald has reported rising levels of aged care and NDIS bedblock, which has increased by more than 40 per cent across Hunter hospitals since March, further exacerbating the issue as hospitals battle to find enough beds and staff to man them.
AU Financial Review
22-07-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
‘Culture of dependency' lifts spending to highest level since WWII
The federal and state government spending splurge has hit the highest level since the end of World War II, due to a massive ramp-up in outlays on disability support, aged care and childcare. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is the chief culprit, accounting for $52 billion in costs and making Australia among the biggest government spenders on disability in the world.
Time Business News
19-07-2025
- Health
- Time Business News
Ensuring Clean, Safe Spaces with Reliable NDIS Cleaning in Melbourne Services
Cleanliness is more than just a surface-level concern—especially when it comes to individuals with disabilities. A clean, safe, and hygienic environment is crucial for their health, comfort, and overall well-being. This is why tailored cleaning services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are gaining widespread importance in Australia. Whether it's a private residence, shared accommodation, or a support facility, professional cleaning ensures safety, hygiene, and dignity for NDIS you're seeking a dependable solution for NDIS cleaning Melbourne, it's essential to understand how specialized cleaning services can make a difference. NDIS cleaning is not your standard home or commercial cleaning service. It is designed with the unique needs of people with disabilities in mind. This includes everything from using low-allergen products to following strict hygiene protocols that reduce the risk of infections. Unlike regular cleaning, NDIS cleaning often involves: Customised cleaning plans based on individual needs High sanitation standards Supportive scheduling that suits the participant's daily routine Use of equipment and methods suitable for sensitive environments NDIS participants have the right to choose their service providers, which means they can select cleaners who are experienced in working with vulnerable individuals and understand the importance of discretion, empathy, and reliability. For people living with disabilities, a clean environment can mean the difference between thriving and struggling. Cleanliness helps prevent illness, reduces allergens, and lowers the risk of accidents such as slips and falls. Moreover, a tidy and well-maintained space promotes a sense of calm and dignity, which is just as important as physical health. For example: A participant with respiratory issues may be extremely sensitive to dust or mould. An individual with mobility challenges may benefit from clutter-free spaces to reduce tripping hazards. Those with sensory sensitivities may feel overwhelmed by mess and disorder, impacting their mental well-being. NDIS cleaning addresses all these aspects by offering tailored services that promote both safety and comfort. When choosing an NDIS cleaning provider, it's important to look for a team that offers: Experience in NDIS cleaning environments Flexibility to work around participant needs and availability Proper documentation, police checks, and insurance Trained professionals who understand respectful communication In addition, an ideal service should be plan-managed, self-managed, or agency-managed under the NDIS—making it easier to align with your current funding setup. Each NDIS participant may require a different level of service, but typically, a quality NDIS cleaning package may include: Kitchen and bathroom sanitisation Floor vacuuming and mopping Dusting of all surfaces Laundry and linen changes Window and door cleaning Removal of clutter or potential hazards Waste disposal and bin cleaning Again, the key is customisation. A good NDIS cleaning provider doesn't follow a one-size-fits-all checklist—they listen, assess, and tailor the work to your needs. Melbourne is a diverse city with a growing NDIS participant base. As awareness about specialised services increases, so does the demand for trustworthy cleaning providers. People are looking for teams who are not just efficient cleaners, but also supportive partners in disability care. Cleaners working with NDIS participants must go beyond simply 'doing a job.' They become part of the routine, and sometimes even trusted members of a person's support network. This makes NDIS cleaning Melbourne a field that requires professionalism, care, and a strong understanding of individual respect. Keeping living and working environments clean for people with disabilities isn't just a requirement—it's a responsibility. A well-kept home supports physical health, emotional balance, and everyday functionality. It also provides NDIS participants the dignity and independence they you're searching for a professional NDIS cleaning service, always prioritize providers that offer more than just cleaning—they must provide understanding, care, and consistent quality. In the long term, these qualities build trust and ensure that individuals with disabilities can live in safe, comfortable spaces that meet their unique needs. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
The Advertiser
18-07-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Home truths on housing target in leaked Treasury advice
The accidental release of government department advice which warned Labor was not going to meet its housing target and urged them to raise taxes, has not rattled the treasurer. Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget. Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time. "I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday. "Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings." A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings. It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target. Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious. The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million. Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty". Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities. But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity. The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle. While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute. The accidental release of government department advice which warned Labor was not going to meet its housing target and urged them to raise taxes, has not rattled the treasurer. Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget. Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time. "I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday. "Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings." A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings. It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target. Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious. The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million. Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty". Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities. But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity. The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle. While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute. The accidental release of government department advice which warned Labor was not going to meet its housing target and urged them to raise taxes, has not rattled the treasurer. Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget. Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time. "I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday. "Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings." A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings. It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target. Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious. The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million. Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty". Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities. But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity. The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle. While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute. The accidental release of government department advice which warned Labor was not going to meet its housing target and urged them to raise taxes, has not rattled the treasurer. Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget. Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time. "I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday. "Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings." A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings. It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target. Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious. The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million. Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty". Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities. But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity. The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle. While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute.
