The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) today released its second annual Progress Report, providing an update on the roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The release of the Report coincides with the second anniversary of the first trial sites of the NDIS and the opening of the NDIS shop front in Penrith, which will service the Nepean Blue Mountains Hawkesbury area in NSW.
NDIA Chairman Bruce Bonyhady said the progress report noted participant satisfaction with the Scheme over the past two years was very positive with a rating of 1.64 on a scale of -2 (extremely dissatisfied) to +2 (extremely satisfied).
“Ultimately, the NDIS will improve the lives of 460,000 Australians and their families,” Mr Bonyhady said.
“We owe it to every one of those people to make the NDIS the best scheme possible so it is encouraging to see very positive feedback from participants.”
“Importantly for all Australians, the report also notes that the NDIS is being delivered on time and within budget.”
Today marks the two-year anniversary of four trial sites - Hunter (NSW) and Barwon (VIC) regions and in South Australia and Tasmania– and the one-year anniversary for three trial sites – the ACT, the Barkly region (NT) and Perth Hills (WA).
The opening of a NDIS shop front in Penrith means people in the Nepean Blue Mountains Hawkesbury area can also now access information about the Scheme, ahead of its roll-out on 1 September.
Mr Bonyhady said this is another significant step forward as it marks the start of transition to the full NDIS in NSW.
“We are two years into one of the greatest social reforms we will see in this generation in Australia,” Mr Bonyhady said.
“As a country, we should be proud of the progress we are making in providing people with disability the supports to make the most of their lives, but there is a lot more to be done. There are millions of Australians with a strong interest in the progress of this Scheme. This report is designed to give them an understanding of what the NDIA has learnt over the past two years and the giant steps the NDIS has taken since its inception.”
Read the NDIS progress report.