The NDIS needs radical transformation into a sustainable and regenerative system of support, according to a new report launched by DANA and published by Citizen Network Research.
Commissioned by DANA as part of our contribution to the NDIS Review, the report Redesigning the NDIS was launched on 29th August in Melbourne.
The report has been co-authored by Dr Simon Duffy, global expert on self-directed support, and Dr Mark Brown of the Summer Foundation. The report explains, from an international perspective, why the current design of the NDIS is unsustainable and offers a regenerative vision for its reform.
In the report’s Foreword, Jeff Smith CEO of DANA, writes how the report is premised on the idea that people with disability should be co-creators in the iteration (and iterations) of the NDIS.
“This in itself is not new, of course – in recent months, many commentators and analysts have made a similar call,” said Mr Smith.
Co-author Dr Mark Brown, who is a Senior Research Fellow at the Summer Foundation and a participant in the NDIS, has called for citzenship, community and inclusion to enliven the next NDIS.
“The report is premised on the idea that people with disability should be co-developers of the NDIS. This would see the system working within an overall budget that has been agreed with the disability community,” said Dr Brown.
Dr Simon Duffy said during the launch event in Melbourne, that there is nothing like the NDIS in the world.
Commenting on the report, Dr Duffy said it is essential that the disability community create a regenerative vision for the NDIS.
“To bring human rights to life we must invest in people and communities and grow a culture of inclusion and citizenship for all,” Dr Duffy said.
A recording of the official launch will be available to the public.
DANA would like to thank Dr Simon Duffy and Dr Mark Brown for this optimistic report, as well as Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM and Natalie Wade who joined the panel discussion at the launch event.
About the Authors of Redesigning the NDIS:
Dr Simon Duffy is one of the founders of the global Self-Directed Support Network and the Director of Citizen Network Research. In 2008, he was awarded the Prince Albert Medal by the Royal Society for Arts and in 2011 he received the Social Policy Association Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Policy for his work on the personalisation of support.
10 years ago Dr Simon Duffy, after examining the initial design of the NDIS, wrote a report which predicted many of the problems that the NDIS is now facing and predicted that “the problems created by the current design are so great that it will force the Federal government to redesign the system in a matter of just a few years.” You can read the 2013 report Designing the NDIS at: https://citizen-network.org/library/designing-ndis.html
Dr Mark Brown is a Research Fellow at the Summer Foundation where he leads research projects that explore the issue of young people in aged care. He has more than 10 years’ experience as a statistician, data analyst and social researcher, with lived experience of disability. He has previously worked for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).