The Liberal Government is committed to supporting vulnerable Tasmanians, particularly our young people and those with a disability.
The fourth Quarterly Report to the COAG Disability Reform Council on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has delivered a positive report on the delivery of the scheme in the four trial sites around Australia – with the Tasmanian trial recording particularly good results.
Participants and carers in the Tasmanian trial, which is targeted at young people aged between 15-24, recorded the highest satisfaction rate in Australia at +1.90, far exceeding the national average of +1.66 across all trial sites based on a scale of -2 (very poor) to +2 (very good).
The "Report on the sustainability of the scheme" shows that Tasmanians with disability are accessing the NDIS in record time and that costs remain on track.
The quarterly report also shows that Tasmania is excelling in community awareness and community capacity building activities, and is active in undertaking regular activities to seek feedback from participants, registered providers and potential providers.
The NDIS is a project of critical national importance and the trial in Tasmania has seen a tremendous improvement in the care and support available for young people who have transitioned to the scheme.
1,000 Tasmanians with a disability aged between 15 to 24 years will transition into the scheme by July 2016.
The Liberals have always been the strongest supporters of the NDIS.
The Liberal Government has also committed to helping Tasmanians living with disability who fall outside of the current age range for the NDIS, by providing an additional $500,000 per year over four years for extra assistance. This additional $2m will provide an extra 12,000 hours of individual disability support.
We have also committed to providing $250,000 to National Disability Services (Tasmania) to help them to develop a trained workforce ready to meet the increased service demands under the NDIS.