By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Casey Council has opted not to join the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as a provider.
Councillor Amanda Stapledon said the decision not to join “the most significant social reform since Medicare” was not what she’d hoped for.
But it was a “sound” outcome for ratepayers and the disability sector. It was not possible for Casey to deliver the service sustainably, Cr Stapledon said.
It followed in the footsteps of many other councils that had opted out, she said.
The NDIS is expected to start rolling out in Casey from 1 September next year, with 25 registered NDIS providers in Casey.
In the meantime, Home and Community Care (HACC) programs delivered by the council will be phased out.
More than 1000 council clients were mailed about Casey’s decision.
Some were concerned by a lack of quality NDIS service providers, some implored Casey to advocate for clients during the transition.
In recommending against joining up, a council review found it was “not a viable option … at this time”.
It found that up to $1m was required to set up as an NDIS provider, and the council had a lack of eligible clients – about 2.6 per cent of the local “market”.
Casey also had higher labour costs and pay scales, making it unable to compete with other providers.
Under national competition policies, the council would also be unable to continue subsidising the service.
Mayor Sam Aziz said Casey would now focus on supporting its clients’ transition to the new scheme.
“Council is not a specialist disability provider, however Casey is fortunate to have many reputable service providers in our community,” Cr Aziz said.
Casey is expected to lose six full-time equivalent staff as a result of the decision. It is expected to be managed by natural attrition, without redundancies.
