DSP Reform

Today I took part in a discussion on Disability Support Pension and if it was indeed time the government review the DSP?

It was a great discussion and as you could imagine filled with emotions. The thought that the DSP is something the Australian Economy can no longer support is its current state is a statement I definitely disagree strong with. 

However I am a strong advocate disability pension reform and I think there are many issues we discussed today, that are worth reviewing. However any review needs to be supported by other measures.  Yes! Let's be honesty since the last review many things in Australia has changed.

Especially groups representing people with disabilities becoming more vocal and pressure from the United Nations for Australia to raise its act in terms of Australians living with disability.  I also think a DSP review is timely as we see the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and fingers cross not too many major changes result in the Government, 'impending stock take of the budget'

Although I see were might not be in the same shape when the LNP was last in power. Compared to the rest of the world we're not traveling so badly. Not major government bail outs and threads of the Australian economy collapsing. I declare I am not a support of the LNP and I am disgruntle at the anti social justice.  We know that the Liberal parties focus is on business, economic growth and the economy.  Not support those who through circumstances can't compete. 

Before signing support for the National Disability Insurance Scheme reform. Our Prime minster was on record saying the Australian economy could not afford the NDIS and now many feel he is taking the ax to the DSP as well. The fear among many Australians living with disabilities and their families is very high and the future has never seemed so uncertain.

One questioned ask today was how would you cope if the DSP was dis-abandon and you needed to live on New Start.  I could not survive on New Start nor work enough hours a week to support myself due to health issues.  I at 45 would need assistance from family members to survive. I have a supportive family but not all people do.  Often people with disabilities are abandon or still post institutionalization and relied on government support. 

I am all in agreance for more people with disabilities including those with mental illness, but until social attitudes and discrimination issues are address that's not going to happen.  The cost of public transport and a lack of accessible transport was a huge topic for debate today.  Even if public transport is accessible not al train stations are accessible and a percentage of people living with disabilities can not use public transport including those with visual impairments and uncontrollably epilepsy. Those struggling with significant mental health issues and chronic pain also are not able to access public transport.

The process of reform is difficult because so many disabiliities affect so many different people in different people in my view the DSP supports the following types of people.

1. People unable to work and unable to care for themselves at all because the need 24 hr care.,  Some of these people live in nursing homes and the DSP barely covers costs, if it fare to put them on New start and ask the family to pay the rest.
2. People unable to work and have significant levels of care, Like 8 hes plus a day.
3. People unable to work due to their disability and the physical (e,g, pain levels) and social toll of looking after themselves is a full time job in itself. 
4. People unable to work because of terminal illness.  Is putting these people on New Start fair.  The will never be able to work.  
5. People unable to work due to social sitmeas e.g uncontrollable epilepsy.
6. People unable to work due to physical, emotional, phonological, communication or intellectual barriers.  
7. People who are able to work but not full-time or in traditional models of employment. (for example the may need to work form home or next flexible hours to accommodate their health needs and medical appointments, some one on dialysis might be in this group.
8. Some able to work for less than 20 hrs a week. These people can have their income supplmented by DSP and in their forum today someone gets $20 per week.
9. Then their are those whoes illness or disability is intermittent. Some years the can work the equivent of six months and some years less. Most of these people don't qualify for DSP
10. Those who don't fix the centrelink boxes or considered too old by Centerlink to rehabilitate someone who has a stroke at 58 might be an example of this group. 
11. those week think could work and we admit sometimes we make judgments on this without all the facts,. 

When there is so a diverse range of ability levels within those currently on DSP reform is not a few pen strokes so. We discussed a tier system.  It is high likely the DSP will no longer exsits July '15, but other income supports will replace it and this tiered system that gives more to individuals with disabilities that occurs higher costs like only being able to travel by taxis.

I argue that is better funded under the NDIS or Medicare and everyone receiving the same pension rate.  However these two systems are reform to and sadly people on DSP could be subjected to cuts in all three areas. Funding reform without social and access reform to remove barriers in my opinion Mr Prime Minister are unaustralian.     

Hopefully out dialogue today gives the reform committee a feel for the complexity of the challenges reform will need to address.  None of us admitted to having a clear solutions.

I'll keep you updated. 

Making Choices

The Queensland Government has just released it Disability Action Plan to rolled out over the next five years, as we move towards the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme which will bring all services for people with disabilities under on national banner.  For the first time the same eligibility cirtera and the same rules will apply to all Australians living with disabilities.  To check your eligibility under the National Disability Insurance scheme you should use the accessibility checker  on their website.

This is the single biggest change in disability sector since its introduction. Traditionally the sector has been underfunded and fragmented. In many areas in  Queensland receiving support has been liked to winning lotto. Packages seem to be awarded without rhythm or reason. 

People and families were given little choice or directions over their own lives. Once families secured support funding the child living with a disability there was very limited freedom and funding packages were tied to a geographical region, determining where people could live in come instances and which services people could access.

The most important change clients, families, caregivers, services and support workers need to understand is that from today we are moving gradually away from a system where most things for people with disabilities were decided from them by a government employee who didn't know them into an open market place which will be more transparent, create more opportunities, employ more support and more jobs. 

Where services are currently operated by the Queensland State Government these services will be sold to private corporations or absorbed into the structure of the National Disability Insurance Scheme by the end of 2019. Services currently operate under the not for profit disability sector will be in the main unaffected by this shift. 

That being said, the sector will now be govern by market place principles where consumers have the buying power and the ability to chooses service providers and the types of services they want to access. Those offering support services such as personal care, domestic assistance, community support, respite, and life skills programs, will now need to operate as a business to attract the customer base. 

It is now for people and their families living with disabilities to determine the ways in which they want to be supported, when they want to be support, and how often they want to be supported.  For service providers the choice is about how to better market the service they provide or whether the want to take this opportunity to transform and diversify you can offer any service you want, but it is not what your customer wants . . . the future is dim. 

As individual and families move towards making informed choices about their futures, the Queensland government has release seven areas of priorities. As we work towards the introduction of the NDIS in Queensland in 2016.

Historic changes and closer of government departments is not a push of the button. We need to change and adapt our thinking to the changing climate and make sure every one in the community - all Australians understand how the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme will affect them, their family, their workplace, and the community as a whole.

The only way to ensure a successful transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme is to get our house in order now.

The Queensland Governments priorities as we walk towards is introduction are:-  

1. Support people living with disabilities and communities to be informed and confident in understanding in what the NDIS means for them.
2. Support people with disabilities, their families and carers to exercise choice and take up new opportunities.
3. Support non-government disability support services to operate competitive in a open market environment
4. Develop a strong skills based workforce. Services need to employ professional support workers and paid award rates.  They are now in the customer service industry.  Support workers are a service sale point. People living with disability deserve quality support.
5. Prepare for Queensland Government Departments to transition disability funding and services to the National Disability Insurance Scheme peak body.
6. Enhance mainstream services and facilitate to enhance geniune choice and participation in all areas. Including education, employment, justice system. health and housing.
7. Promote participation in the community.

The changes we seek to create not only turn the tables on the disability support sector but will have an impact on all levels of society and the communities in which we live.

It is challenge the way we provide education and the ways we teach, it will challenge our transport system and demand people living with disabilities can and do use public transport; It will challenge and demand the workplaces become accessible to all Australian - looking at things such as physical access, visual access, IT access, sensory access and those with behavioural challenges. It will challenge and demand reform to our legal system,  beginning will challenging the right for those with intellectual disabilities to have the same citizen rights as all Australian and an end to automatic disqualification from voting, and access to the justice system. Lack of access to the justice system has allow systemic abuse of people with intellectual disabilities and dis-empowerment.  We need to find was to make our justice system accessible;e and present the law and political climate in a way that everyone gains and understanding and is truly protected and we urgently need to address the lack of accessible accommodation and the living conditions of young people living in nursing homes.

Any one who is still tempered to think this is a mere changing in funding arrangement is in for a rude awakening. .