Prime Minister Tony Abbott has given the green light to two NDIS trial sites in Western Australia. The sites will be established in Perth Hills, alongside a trial site for Western Australia’s My Way Scheme in the Lower South West and Cockburn/Kwinana regions. Around 8400 people in WA with disability will benefit from the two trials.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said the trial sites in Perth are key milestones in the continued national rollout of the NDIS and crucial to ensure the scheme is built on strong foundations and key lessons from the trials are taken on board.
The Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments agreed to establish the NDIS trial site from July 1, 2014. The sites will be independently evaluated by a Joint Steering Committee comprising representatives from both governments and community representatives from the trial sites.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Disability Services, Mitch Fifield, has said there are going to be changes, where necessary, before proceeding to a full NDIS rollout. The minister was responding to questions in media interviews following Treasurer Joe Hockey’s comments that without proper management, the NDIS would not be sustainable and could end up as a farce as big as the pink batts program.
Senator Fifield said he was still waiting on advice from the NDIS Board in relation to meeting the timelines in the intergovernmental agreements. “We are not looking for ways to delay the NDIS, we are looking at ways to deliver the NDIS,” he said.
For more information on the Perth Hills trial site visit: www.ndis.gov.au