Advocacy WA laments ‘tick-box’ consultation process over NDIS provider registration reforms

A South West disability advocacy organisation has warned reforms to NDIS provider registration will leave more people struggling to find services in their home town. Advocacy WA chief executive Stuart Schonell said his organisation welcomed some of the changes to the NDIS rules — specifically making stricter registration requirements around high-level support such as 24/7 services. However, Mr Schonell said making it harder for other services to get registered would exacerbate an already scarce regional industry. “If you increase the registration requirements for providers in some of those towns where there already are not enough providers all we’re going to see is more providers moving out of country towns,” he said. “Country people with disability are going to be even more disadvantaged than they currently are.” NDIS and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten announced on Monday the reforms would now require all platform providers, support co-ordinators and supported independent living providers to be registered. The change comes after a task force was set up in February and headed by human rights lawyer Natalie Wade. Registration reform was one of 11 recommendations and 10 implementation actions proposed by the task force aimed to strengthen NDIS participant safeguards. Mr Schonell also raised issue with the consultation process, arguing that what was raised in meetings wasn’t reflected in the final reforms. He said while Advocacy WA provided an online submission to the inquiry as well as met with the task force “briefly” at the beginning of the year, their concerns had not been addressed. “The things that we brought up, pretty much all were ignorable,” he said. “It tells me that the consultation is not real and that it’s a tick-box consultation, particularly for rural people. “We’re one of the few providers in Australia that only focuses on regions and rural people, and if we’re not listened to that means there’s no voice for those people.” In Monday’s announcement Mr Shorten said he was committed to progressing reform to strengthen risk-proportionate regulation to increase the quality and safety of NDIS supports. “The task force made several recommendations on a new regulatory model that will require co-design with the disability community, including mandatory registration for platform and SIL providers, and support co-ordinators as our first change,” he said. “Through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and under the current registration model, I am progressing registration of platform providers — that is, providers that connect participants with workers to deliver NDIS supports — support co-ordinators, and providers of supported independent living. “The commission will progress rule changes to mandate registration for support co-ordination, platform providers and SIL. “Consultation on these changes will commence in October. The new rules will allow for a period of transition to the new mandatory registration arrangements.” Mr Shorten’s office was contacted for comment.