The latest NDIS news - without the spin or jargon

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Hi Supporter,

Some breaking news about new NDIS assessments that was too good not to share straight away.

The Joint Standing Committee have just announced they will hold an inquiry into the use of independent assessments in the NDIS.

The committee will investigate:

➡️ The reasons for the introduction of independent assessments

➡️ The data and the modelling that sits behind their introduction

➡️ How assessments will be used to determine eligibility and access to the NDIS

➡️ How assessments will be used in planning – and how they will be used to determine individual plans and budgets

➡️ Where else in the world assessments have been used like this – and what effect they have had

➡️ the independence, qualifications, training, expertise of assessors

➡️ how appropriate the assessments are for people with different types of disability, and for people who come from different backgrounds – such as First Nations people with disability or people from a culturally or linguistically diverse background

➡️ anything else that takes the committee’s fancy.

This is good news. It means the committee has heard your concerns – and wants to dive deeper and hear more.

Have your say on NDIS assessments [[link removed]]

The inquiry begins now and will run until the end of March.

And as great as that is, that means we don’t have much time.

You can make a submission to the inquiry in a couple of different ways.

You can make a written submission directly to the Committee. It doesn’t have to be long – even dot points will do the trick. The most important thing is to explain why you are worried and why you think these assessments won’t work for you (or your family member).

(You can find out how to submit on the Committee’s webpage [[link removed]]. You can also read the full terms of reference for the inquiry [[link removed]].)

Or if it is easier for you, you can tell us your story [[link removed]]. We will then bundle up all of the stories and share them with the Committee.

It does not matter how you do it. But it does matter that you have your say now.

We want the Committee to understand why we are so worried – and what we want them to do about it.

Share your story with the Joint Standing Committee [[link removed]]

These changes were going to be introduced without consultation. Without scrutiny. And without people having their say.

Now we have a chance to speak out. It’s taken a lot to get to this point. So we don’t want to waste this opportunity. So please help us get the word out [link removed] - we want as many people as possible to contact the Committee and let them know what needs to change.

Just one more thing before you go…

This has been an extraordinarily difficult and challenging year. A year like no other. A year when we have not been able to get together and support each other in the ways we usually do.

But … that doesn’t mean we have been alone. We have been so touched by all the ways people in our community have reached out and helped each other to make it through.

But people haven’t just come together to support one another – as awesome as that is. They have also come together to fight for what they believe in.

So we want to finish by saying thank you. Thank you for being there. Thank you for every email you sent, every story you shared, every time you used your voice and demanded to be heard. And while we know people are worried and frustrated that it has not made a difference, we are here to tell you it has. Things ARE different because of what you have done.

But it is also true that we still have a way to go before the NDIS works the way we all want it to.

So now at the end of this most difficult of years we hope you finally have a chance to rest, recover and recharge. And find the time to do whatever it is that brings you a little peace and joy.

But … don’t go too far away because we have plenty planned for next year!

Thank you for all that you do.

Kirsten and the Every Australian Counts team

PS. We know how hard it is to stay on top of changes in the NDIS. It’s a full-time job! So if you want to learn more about these new assessments and what it all means for you, check out our website [[link removed]]. We have some articles which explain the planned changes to eligibility and access [[link removed]], and the changes to planning [[link removed]].

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