SENATOR THE HON MITCH FIFIELD

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES

MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN THE SENATE
SENATOR FOR VICTORIA

TRANSCRIPT
ABC Radio AM Programme with Chris Uhlmann
9 December 2014
7.15am
E & OE
Subject: National Disability Insurance Scheme, Stella Young
UHLMANN:
The National Disability Insurance Scheme is designed to revolutionise disability services. Trials
are underway and AM has been told some parts of the system are not coping. There's growing
concern that state and territory governments are withdrawing support before some trials even
begin, leaving people with disabilities in limbo. Assistant Minister for Social Services Senator Mitch
Fifield warns states not to do the wrong thing.
Senator Mitch Fifield, good morning.
FIFIELD:
Good morning, Chris.
UHLMANN:
Mitch Fifield, you said in a speech that there is a high level of frustration with the roll out of the
system why is that?
FIFIELD:
Look, Chris, understandably Australians who have disability, who have been on waiting lists under
state programmes for years would love it if you could flick a switch and have the NDIS rolled out
nationally on one day. Because of the magnitude of the exercise it has to be rolled out in a phased
way, but there is also frustration for service providers who are having to adapt from a block funded
system to one where the money follows the individual, and that is a significant change. Providers
are committed to working through the issues.
UHLMANN:
It is big. It is expensive. Can you give us some idea of the scale and the timeframe?
FIFIELD:
Well, at the moment there are about 9,000 people who are participants in the scheme in the trial

sites nationwide. There is about $400 million thats been spent supporting them. At full rollout in
2018/19 it will go to being a $22 billion a year scheme that supports about 460,000 people. So, it is
a big ramp up in a fairly short period of time. So there is certainly a job of work to do.
UHLMANN:
Certainly, we have been told about one family for example who spent years sorting out services
for their child and now everything has to be revisited and a layer of bureaucracy has been
imposed over the top of the service providers. So, you can understand the frustration?
FIFIELD:
Part of the purpose of the trial sites around that nation is to learn lessons, see where things arent
working perfectly and make adjustments before we move to full rollout. So where there are
individual experiences which are not ideal we want to learn from those.
UHLMANN:
We have been told that bureaucracy is adding a burden to carers and workers with extra
paperwork that didnt exist before.
FIFIELD:
Well, the individual has an option in the Scheme; they can choose to manage their supports
themselves or they can elect to have the NDIS Agency do that for them. At the moment that is
what a majority of people are seeking to do. But we are determined to ensure that this is not a big
new Commonwealth bureaucracy.
UHLMANN:
But you are in the process of inventing a new system, aren't you?
FIFIELD:
Look, it is a new system and there's change and change understandably causes uncertainty. But
we want to work through that change to get to a much better system. And the whole rationale for
the NDIS is that the state systems are broken. They're not working. People are waiting. People are
not getting the supports that they need. That's the whole reason why we're moving to the new
arrangement. Yes, it is change, change can be challenging for people, but what is on the other
side will be better.
UHLMANN:
Are some state services ending before the new system begins? Are you worried about that?
FIFIELD:
Well, some jurisdictions in parallel to the introduction of the NDIS are choosing to cease to be
direct service providers themselves. Some states like Victoria, they're not really in the business of
direct service provision. In the ACT and New South Wales, they historically have been. So that's a
separate decision to the NDIS, but it's very important that state jurisdictions do not withdraw their
services whether they provide them directly or whether they fund them, before the NDIS rolls out
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in a particular area.
UHLMANN:
Well, in the ACT the only provider of early intervention services has stopped providing them.
FIFIELD:
We've got to work with jurisdictions to make sure that there is continuity of support for people
receiving services and where jurisdictions are prematurely pulling out, then hell will have no fury
like Mitch Fifield as the federal minister.
UHLMANN:
Are you concerned that there will be cost shifting and blame shifting because in the end, who is in
charge of this system?
FIFIELD:
Well, it's a shared responsibility of the Commonwealth and the states. It's a joint venture, a joint
creation of all jurisdictions. Ultimately, it's the COAG Disability Reform Council made up of
Commonwealth and state ministers, which I chair, that has the ultimate responsibility.
UHLMANN:
Are there enough disability workers in the system?
FIFIELD:
Well, at the moment there are about 75-odd thousand full-time disability staff in the system. By
2019/20 that will need to double. The disability workforce has doubled over periods of time before,
and that's going to be an important part of the bilateral negotiations between the Commonwealth
and states over the next six months for the nationwide rollout, is to make sure that it's phased in a
way that can adapt to the changing workforce.
UHLMANN:
Finally Mitch Fifield, one of the strongest voices for the disabled in this country was comedian and
journalist Stella Young. She died on the weekend, too young at the age of 32. She was a huge
loss.
FIFIELD:
A huge loss. She was just a sensational human being. Yes, she was a ceaseless advocate for a
better deal for Australians with disability, but what I loved most about her was that she used charm
and humour to highlight the often patronising and negative attitudes that people with disability
have had to put up with. She's a huge loss.
UHLMANN:
Mitch Fifield, the world could use more charm and humour, thank you.
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FIFIELD:
Amen. Thanks Chris.
UHLMANN:
That is the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Mitch Fifield.
ENDS
Media contact: Lydia Paterson | 0409 792 081 | lydia.paterson@dss.gov.au