Statement on the Rural and Remote Strategy 2016-2019
The NDIA Rural and Remote Strategy (Strategy) was developed in 2016 to guide the roll out of the NDIS in rural and remote Australia during transition.
The Strategy recognised that people with disability in rural and remote Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, might require additional support to access the NDIS, receive an NDIS plan and use their supports. At 31 March 2021, 6,664 people with disability living in remote and very remote locations were receiving NDIS support, an increase of 342 per cent over the past three years.
The NDIA has released a progress update on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Strategy, detailing the Agency’s key activities over the past four years against the 10 priority areas identified in the Strategy. The update also articulates additional actions to further drive the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Strategy over the next 18 months.
In addition, in June 2020 the NDIA released the Participants across remoteness classification report . The report provides valuable insights on the profile and experience of participants and their families and carers by remoteness.
The NDIA’s current approach to remote service delivery aims to deliver:
- Quality participant plans with the inclusion of supports that are culturally relevant.
- Improved social and economic outcomes for participants by addressing existing supply gaps at a local level, including the use of alternative commissioning for supports where required, and improved coordination between disability and mainstream services.
- Coordination across all levels of government to maximise the outcomes of the Scheme, recognising that the NDIS is part of a broader government service delivery ecosystem in remote communities.
- Access to specific service types or markets at a whole-of-region level through thin market trials and alternative commissioning approaches.
- Improved outcomes at a whole-of-community level by implementing a place-based approach that delivers participant outcomes and facilitates solutions.
To support this approach, the Government has implemented the following key measures in remote Australia: