Reports that the NDIS taskforce has rejected a proposal to make it mandatory for all NDIS service providers to be registered was “deeply disappointing”, Melba CEO Hayley Dean said today.
The Herald Sun reported on Tuesday that the taskforce, set up by NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, planned to block the initiative, one that Shorten had deemed an essential part of the $42 billion NDIS reform.
Shorten had tasked the group with addressing the unchecked operation of unregistered NDIS businesses that receive taxpayer money without adequate oversight or accountability.
The proposal followed a major NDIS review released in December, which recommended all businesses within the scheme “should be enrolled or registered”.
However, the newspaper reported that the taskforce said the proposal would cause “significant distress to the disability community”.
Hayley said the taskforce’s move “lacked simple logic”.
“There are close to 160,000 unregistered providers that do not have to undergo the rigorous checks and balances placed on the almost 18,000 (in 2022) registered providers,” she said.
“They are not required to complete independent external audits, screen staff for criminal history, or prove to the government that their staff have the right skills and competencies. This is particularly alarming when supporting a person with complex needs, where there is no independent oversight or advocacy for those most at risk. This compromises the well-being and safety of the people the NDIS was set up to support.
“As a registered NDIS provider, we welcome the rigorous screening and independent oversight. It certified our credentials as a credible, trustworthy and accountable organisation supporting thousands of Victorians.”
The newspaper reported that the taskforce “proposes that not all providers … should be registered”, warning of “significant, unintended consequences of this approach, including that it would monitor the decisions of NDIS participants when spending their funding”.
Hayley said common sense dictated that “all organisations working in the disability sector should be heavily scrutinised”.
“A bartender needs more certification than an unregistered NDIS service provider,” One needs an RSA (responsible service of alcohol) to serve a beer but can support someone to have a shower or go to the toilet with no safety screening or training. It’s ludicrous she said.
“I fail to see what the ‘significant, unintended consequences’ of making it mandatory for NDIS providers to be registered would be.
“Reforms of the type Mr Shorten is trying to implement are long overdue.”
At a recent press conference, Shorten stated, “It’s not acceptable to have an unregistered provider just working without any accountability”.
In March, he added, “Unregistered providers operate with little to no visibility of what they provide, or even if they deliver the services they charge for. There are also too many whose backgrounds are unknown”.
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