More than 78,000 Australians with disability benefit from NDIS

More than 78,000 Australians have benefited from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), a new report shows.

The NDIS Quarterly Report, covering the period from 1 January to 31 March 2017, outlines steady progress in the implementation of Australia’s landmark Scheme.

Between January and March an additional 14,357 participants received a NDIS plan.
The total number of people who had received support at the end of the quarter was 78,006, including 2439 children referred through the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) approach, which is available to children under six years of age who have a disability or developmental delay.

“By the end of March 78,006 Australians had benefited from this important Scheme,” National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) chief executive officer David Bowen said.

“This result points to strong progress in rolling out the NDIS across the country and delivering the Scheme to an expected 460,000 Australians with disability by 2020”.

Highlights of the report include:

• 75,567 participants in total had received an approved plan as at 31 March 2017
• 14,357 participants received an approved plan in the quarter
• 2439 children had been referred through the ECEI gateway by the end of the quarter
• 12,449 plans were reviewed
• 88 per cent of surveyed participants in the quarter rated their experience either good or very good - an increase on the previous quarter
• 87 per cent of participants surveyed said they believed their NDIS plan would make their life better
• 6814 service providers have been registered – 33 per cent increase in the quarter

The Productivity Commission estimate of $22 billion a year at full Scheme remains the best estimate of the longer-term cost of a well-managed NDIS. Ongoing work is continuing to verify the longer-term cost of the NDIS based on scheme experience to date.

Mr Bowen reinforced the NDIA’s commitment to delivering high quality plans to NDIS participants in a financially sustainable way.

“To deliver the NDIS to the 460,000 Australians expected to enter the Scheme, the NDIS must deliver funding in a way that supports people with disability to achieve their goals, while ensuring the Scheme is financially sustainable and in place to benefit all those who are eligible,” he said.

“To this end - the NDIA’s evidence-based monitoring allows pressures on the Scheme to be identified early and for management responses to be put in place to respond.”

For more information on when the NDIS will be available in new areas and how people with disability, their families and carers, providers and the community can get NDIS Ready, visit www.ndis.gov.au

Background
NDIS state and territory participants with approved plans at the end of March 2017.

NDIA media contact: 0477 703 960 or [email protected]