The Way Forward – A New Disability Policy Framework For Australia

Recommendation 2

DIG recommends that the feasibility study into a National Disability Insurance Scheme includes further examination of the potential for any of the following measures to enhance additional private provision for people with disability.

• Action on the recommendations of the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs in its report on Special Disability Trusts, Building trust: Supporting families through Disability Trusts, October 2008.
• Setting up a savings plan with incentives for family members to save for the short- to medium-term financial needs of a family member with disability.
• Removing taxes on essential goods and services required by people with disability, their families and carers.
• Introducing a Disability Support Tax Rebate into Australia’s tax system to recognise the work-related costs of people with disability, their families and carers.
• Development of private housing and services models that could complement a NDIS.

This would require consultation with other parts of government, including importantly, the Review into Australia’s Future Tax System.

Recommendation 3

DIG recommends that regulations for accessible and adaptable housing standards be strengthened to facilitate ageing in place; and as a first step, a set of no-cost and low-cost requirements be mandatory for all new residential buildings.

Recommendation 4

DIG recommends that the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) be amended to better meet the needs of people with disability by:

• increasing the payment made in relation to housing for people with disability to recognise the higher costs of providing and servicing their housing (NRAS Plus); and
• setting minimum adaptability and accessibility standards at least equal to the no-cost or low-cost standards in Recommendation 3.

Recommendation 5

DIG recommends a change of focus for Disability Employment Services (formerly Disability Employment Network) to direct candidates with disability into the mainstream employment market, rather than act as employment agencies in their own right; and to ensure that services are appropriately targeted and delivered in a way that the private sector will access them.

DIG also recommends that access to funded services in the Disability Employment Services be available to people in Australian Disability Enterprises who want to take up employment in the open labour market.

Recommendation 6

DIG recommends that the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments allocate $30 million per annum under the new National Disability Agreement to fund a National Disability Research Institute as a centre of excellence to lead and promote disability research in Australia. The National Disability Insurance Scheme would be expected to maintain and expand this research.