The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Disability Reform Council (the Council) met on 9 October for its second meeting for 2019.
Some of the highlights of the meeting were:
- The Council agreed the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will introduce Justice Liaison Officers (JLOs) in each state and territory to work across their justice systems.
The JLOs will provide a single point of contact for workers within each state and territory justice system, providing a coordinated approach to supporting NDIS participants in youth and adult justice systems.
The Council also agreed that targeted resources and training will be developed and implemented to improve the coordination of supports for NDIS participants interacting with the justice system.
- The Council endorsed an approach to improve the provision of transport supports under the NDIS. This includes interim measures to increase transport funding for NDIS participants who are significant users of taxi subsidy schemes, and the full reimbursement of states and territories for the continuation of their schemes for NDIS participants until longer-term transport support policy and funding is resolved.
- To further develop the market for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), the Council also agreed to consider amendments to the SDA Pricing and Payments Framework and SDA Rules to bring the rules into line with regulatory best practice, provide clarity of key SDA policy settings and allow SDA participants to have greater flexibility in their choice of living arrangements.
- The Council also agreed to ongoing discussions to ensure, and report on, the long-term financial sustainability of the NDIS, and agreed a proposal will be considered at its next meeting.
- The Council also agreed actuarial advice on a Reserve Fund will be provided to states and territories by the end of October 2019. The development and design of an NDIS Reserve Fund will be accelerated for consideration by the Council when it next meets.
The Council agreed to meet again before the end of 2019. You can read the full Communique at https://tinyurl.com/yxmwjca6
