Red tape is stopping persons with disabilities in Australia from living independently in their own homes, a parliamentary report says.
The bipartisan committee made 45 recommendations to government to overhaul the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s supported independent living program, reports Australian Associated Press.
Some participants were unable to even be assessed for their eligibility to the program because they couldn’t access NDIS funding, the report found.
The National Disability Insurance Agency, which oversees the NDIS, was told to fix that urgently.
“The financial status of a person should not act as a barrier to accessing the NDIS or receiving supports,” the report said.
The report also made recommendations around allowing participants to pick their service provider, cutting delays to funding wait times, and reducing the amount of evidence required for people to prove their eligibility.
Committee chair and Liberal MP Kevin Andrews told parliament despite some changes by the NDIS, some people were still struggling to access the program.
“Ultimately, the recommendations aim to maximise choice and control for participants,” Mr Andrews said on Wednesday.
Labor’s disability spokesman Bill Shorten said the report provided a road map for significant improvements to the NDIS.
He said the report had also recognised the scheme’s goal of treating people with disabilities as equal citizens hadn’t been achieved.
“There is too much red tape, everything takes too long,” Mr Shorten told parliament.
