MND Australia’s response to the NDIS Review Final Report

Published: December 2023

MND Australia welcomes the final report from the Independent Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme – Working together to deliver the NDIS, released on 7 December 2023.

“As Minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten, mentioned in his speech to the National Press Club, ‘No one wants to go back to the old days’,” said David Ali, CEO of MND Australia. “Yet we must ensure the NDIS remains sustainable into the future.”

“The final report and accompanying documents are extensive and will take some time to digest, but on the whole MND Australia supports the recommendations that will humanise the planning process and base access on functional needs.”

“In particular, we welcome the development of foundational supports outside the NDIS, and the proposed creation of a ‘unified ecosystem’ for people with disability. This is particularly crucial for people diagnosed with MND aged 65 and over, who are not eligible for the NDIS.”

“These were all key asks in MND Australia’s submission to the Review, however we will need to wait for further detail on the recommendation around specialist navigators and how this role will transition from support coordination.”

“We also have queries about the removal of access lists from the scheme and how this might impact people with MND. Noting that the new framework will base access on functional needs, we know that people with MND have very complex and changing needs as the condition progresses and becomes increasingly disabling – there is no doubt that people with MND who seek to access the scheme have high functional needs.”

MND Australia looks forward to working with the Minister and the CEO of the NDIA to ensure that this new framework for the NDIS is developed in direct consultation and inclusion of people living with MND.