Push for care cover

By Bridget Cook
CASEY Council has pledged is support for the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and has encouraged others to do the same.
At last weeks council meeting, the council agreed to write the Prime Minister Julie Gillard and a number of other politicians in support of the NDIS before 29 April.
The council also pledged to officially support the Every Australian Counts campaign, a movement for the introduction of a NDIS, by signing the online petition and placing a link button on the City of Casey website so others can do the same.
In February this year, Productivity Commission (PC), the Australian Government’s independent research and advisory body on a range of economic, social and environmental issues affecting the welfare of Australians, released its draft report, Disability Care and Support.
The report identified the current disability support system as “underfunded, unfair, fragmented and inefficient”.
It said that the current support system gave people with a disability “little choice and no certainty that they will get the support they need”.
The PC proposed the two schemes to address the flaws, with a rollout to commence in 2013-14.
The biggest scheme, the NDIS, would be like Medicare in that all Australians would know that they or their families would get long-term care and support if they acquired a significant disability.
A second much smaller scheme would cover people’s lifetime care and support needs if they acquired a catastrophic injury from any accident.
Two public hearings in Casey this month to give people the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft proposals.
Councillor Amanda Stapledon, who is a strong supporter of the NDIS, encouraged everyone to get behind the proposal.
“The NDIS is the single most important issue and the only thing on the table that seeks to improve the way disability services and supports are delivered to those with a disability and their carers,” she said.
“The importance is reflected by the number of people who have signed the petition and a report of there being the highest number of submissions received by the PC to date.
“It’s our only chance to get behind something that could be quite revolutionary.
“Everyone has the opportunity to get behind this and I encourage people to write to their federal and state MPs to ensure that this remains on the Government agenda.”
People wanting to sign the Every Australian Counts petition can at www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au.
People can also provide feedback to the PC at www.pc.gov.au/projects /inquiry/disability-support/draft.
The final report will be delivered to the Government in July.