The National Disability Insurance Scheme will be rolled out in the Wyndham region on October 1, 2018 – a victory for people with disability and their families who fought hard for the reform.
The scheme, for which the state government last week signed an agreement with the federal government, will provide personalised care and support for people with disabilities, while children under the age of six will receive priority help.
Introduction of the NDIS will mark the end of rationed services and waiting lists for people with disabilities, while also creating jobs in the sector.
Werribee MP Tim Pallas said the signing of the agreement provided certainty about how the scheme would roll out locally.
“It’s about putting people with disability and their families first,” he said.
Among those celebrating the scheme is the Wyndham Disability Action Group.
The volunteer group has provided support, advocacy and other forms of help to people living with disability for more than 20 years in Wyndham.
Founding member Christine Williams was excited to learn a date had been set for the roll-out in Wyndham.
“As a 65-year-old who has lived with a disability for 64 of those years, this is the greatest reform I’ve witnessed in my lifetime,” she said. “I’ve seen enormous change, but this is the cherry on top. I hope I live to see it rolled out across the nation and working smoothly.”
In Victoria, the state government will provide $2.5 billion to the scheme annually while the federal government will contribute $2.6 billion.
