Joint Media Release: Morrison Government's plan to support people with disability

The Morrison Government is backing Australians with disability, their families and carers.

We understand that people with disability want to participate fully in the social and economic life of our community. We recognise that such participation is good for them, good for their families and good for the nation.

If people with disability want to work, we will support them to find and keep a job. Keeping the economy strong is vital. It is only by building a stronger economy that we can guarantee the essential services that people with disability, their families and carers rely on and deliver them the jobs they deserve.

The Morrison Government proudly supports the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which is transforming the lives of people with disability, their families and carers. It is important we get it right.

In the next term of a Morrison Government we must finalise the rollout of the NDIS and set it up for long term success. A re-elected Morrison Government will:

• Continue to ensure the NDIS is fully funded by building a stronger economy and keeping the budget in the black.
• Rollout new NDIS participant planning pathways – making sure people with disability have a single point of contact with the NDIS, and can choose to be on a longer NDIS plan of up to 3 years if their disability is stable.
• Expand the NDIS community connectors program to support and assist hard to reach communities - including Indigenous Australians, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and ageing parents of children with disability - to navigate the NDIS and get the services they or their children need.
• Introduce a new NDIS Participant Service Guarantee from 1 July 2020 – setting new standards for shorter timeframes for people with disability to get an NDIS plan and to have their plan reviewed, with a particular focus on children, and participants requiring specialist disability accommodation and assistive technology.

We recognise that the NDIS was never intended to be the only support provided to people with disability, their families or carers. A re-elected Morrison Government will:

• Commit $45 million to develop a national disability information gateway, including a website and 1800 number, to assist all people with disability and their families to locate and access services in their communities.
• Introduce a new 7 per cent employment target for people with disability across the Australian Public Service (APS) by 2025.
• Provide $2 million to support people with autism to find and keep a job, including a $1.5 million national expansion of the successful Dandelion Program in partnership with DXC Technology.

We will be implementing these initiatives in close consultation with people with disability, their families, carers and supporters.