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Kelly Vincent says next year’s rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) on the Eyre Peninsula will be the biggest social reform in Australia since Medicare was introduced in the 1970s.
Ms Vincent, who is the Dignity Party representative in South Australian Parliament, was explaining the impact the NDIS would make on people’s lives when she was hosted by the City of Whyalla recently.
Residents can now learn more with a community expo in Whyalla on Wednesday (November 22) ahead of the rollout of the NDIS which will begin for people aged 18 to 64 in the Eyre and Western region from January 1 next year.
The NDIS will see the way funding for disabled services is distributed and managed. As stated by the Federal Government, the NDIS is the new way of providing support for Australians with disability, their families and carers. It says the NDIS will provide about 460,000 Australians under the age of 65 with a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to live an ordinary life.
Addressing a packed Whyalla council chambers in October, Ms Vincent (pictured right with Mayor Lyn Breuer) said the NDIS would be a challenge for everyone and a scheme that is going to change a lot of people’s lives.
“There are massive changes happening everywhere from the NDIS, it is a transformative scheme making a huge difference to the quality of people’s lives,” Ms Vincent said.
“It really is a huge change and one that’s going to take a lot to adjust to.
“(but) If done properly, it will pay for itself.”
Ms Vincent said the NDIS was not only about the people who require the support, it was also about opportunities for job seekers and those training in specialised fields.
“It is a great opportunity for people who are looking to leave other industries and move into this great industry,” she said.
“I’d like to see tertiary students actually get to work as support workers while they are doing their studies, so instead of having to work in hotels and the like, they can do something that will give them on-the-job experience.
“For regional areas that could also mean they could stay in the region and get paid while they are studying.”
The South Australian Government is hosting a series of community expos across the state to provide information on the rollout of the NDIS to people with disability, their families and the general public.
The community expos bring together representatives from the South Australian Government, the National Disability Insurance Agency and service providers, and give members of the public a chance to hear more and ask questions about how the NDIS will affect them.
The Whyalla Expo will be held at Whyalla Leisure Centre, 5 Racecourse Road, Whyalla Norrie on Wednesday November 22 from 11am until 2pm.
To attend the expo people are asked to rsvp, including advice of any accessibility requirements, to dcsi.events@sa.gov.au
You can find information about the NDIS in South Australia and events in your region at: www.mysupportmychoice.sa.gov.au
Kelly Vincent, pictured: is the Dignity Party representative in South Australian Parliament. She was elected to the Legislative Council in 2010 in an event that made history.
She is the youngest woman ever elected to an Australian parliament and the first Australian to be elected on the platform of disability rights.
Kelly is passionate about the rights and needs of people with disabilities, and is also a keen human rights advocate. Her parents were born in Whyalla and she recalls fondly her visits to the region and the city she describes as beautiful.