Latest news with #NationalDisabilityInsuranceAgency
ABC News
22-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Disability advocates fear travel cuts will pose major barrier for NDIS participants
Leaders in the disability sector are worried cuts to NDIS travel costs could pose a major barrier for those who need at-home support. Updated NDIS pricing comes into effect next month, and includes lowering the price at which participants can be charged for certain therapies. Guest: Michael Perusco, CEO, National Disability Services Michael Perusco, CEO, National Disability Services Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor In a statement to the ABC, a National Disability Insurance Agency spokesperson says the changes are to ensure participants pay fair prices, with some of the current NDIS price limits exceeding market value by 68 per cent.
Sky News AU
12-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
More than 3000 Aussies to be hit as financially challenged aged care, disability services company Annecto collapses
More than 3000 Australians will need new homes or new carers as an aged care and disability services company has collapsed. Annecto is shuttering its doors from July after 70 years as financial challenges and shifts in the aged care and disability sectors have forced the company to close. 'As a result, it was identified that Annecto would be unable to continue providing services in the future,' the company states on its website. Aussies at Annecto locations across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT will be helped by the company as they search for other care facilities. 'Our focus now is working together to transition the people we support and the services they receive to other trusted providers who can continue delivering the support they need and deserve,' Annecto said. The company is working with various government agencies to transition its patients – including the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Annecto said it remained committed to prioritising the welfare of its patients as they transition out of the company's homes. 'We are committed to the people we support and all Annecto staff during this time,' the company said. 'We are committed to compliance and ethical service delivery, ensuring our transition process aligns with customer, employee, and regulatory expectations.' Annecto chair Colleen Furlanetto thanked the company's founders and community for their contributions to the company. 'As we approach this next chapter, we do so with the same spirit that inspired Annecto's beginnings—ensuring that every person has access to the support they need, delivered with dignity and respect,' Ms Furlanetto said. The collapse comes after Labor passed its Aged Care Act which will change how different types of retirees in aged care are billed. The major change is the lifetime cap will rise from about $82,000 to about $130,000. Australia's aged care sector is not currently a profitable industry, but the changes in billing could lead to further investment into the growing sector as the ageing population grows.
Sydney Morning Herald
11-06-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
NDIS to slash fees for key health workers to curb costs
Key National Disability Insurance Scheme health workers such as physiotherapists, dietitians and podiatrists will have their payments slashed in the new financial year as the agency that runs the $48.8 billion scheme seeks to bring down its costs. The National Disability Insurance Agency says a review of more than 10 million transactions found that many pricing limits for NDIS therapies were out of step with broader market rates. In some cases, NDIS providers were charging fees that were 68 per cent higher. The agency confirmed on Wednesday that the maximum hourly rate for NDIS physiotherapists would be cut by $10 from July 1, resulting in a new national cap of $183.99 an hour. Similarly, dieticians and podiatrists will have their maximum hourly rates slashed by $5 in the new financial year, resulting in a new national cap of $188.99 for both professions. 'Inflated therapy price points – initially established to support market development in some states and territories in 2019, do not have conclusive evidence to continue,' the NDIA said in a statement. 'Data confirms that people with disability have been paying 'NDIS premiums' for certain therapies. As a result, a number of price points have been adjusted to align with non-NDIS market rates. 'These pricing adjustments are a big step towards further safeguarding participants to ensure they are charged the same as anyone else.' While some professions have had their maximum NDIS rates cut as part of this year's annual pricing review, disability support workers will have their price limit lifted by 3.95 per cent to reflect the recent increase to the minimum wage. Introduced in 2013 by the Gillard government, the NDIS today supports up to 700,000 Australians with a disability and contributes to some 500,000 jobs.
The Age
11-06-2025
- Health
- The Age
NDIS to slash fees for key health workers to curb costs
Key National Disability Insurance Scheme health workers such as physiotherapists, dietitians and podiatrists will have their payments slashed in the new financial year as the agency that runs the $48.8 billion scheme seeks to bring down its costs. The National Disability Insurance Agency says a review of more than 10 million transactions found that many pricing limits for NDIS therapies were out of step with broader market rates. In some cases, NDIS providers were charging fees that were 68 per cent higher. The agency confirmed on Wednesday that the maximum hourly rate for NDIS physiotherapists would be cut by $10 from July 1, resulting in a new national cap of $183.99 an hour. Similarly, dieticians and podiatrists will have their maximum hourly rates slashed by $5 in the new financial year, resulting in a new national cap of $188.99 for both professions. 'Inflated therapy price points – initially established to support market development in some states and territories in 2019, do not have conclusive evidence to continue,' the NDIA said in a statement. 'Data confirms that people with disability have been paying 'NDIS premiums' for certain therapies. As a result, a number of price points have been adjusted to align with non-NDIS market rates. 'These pricing adjustments are a big step towards further safeguarding participants to ensure they are charged the same as anyone else.' While some professions have had their maximum NDIS rates cut as part of this year's annual pricing review, disability support workers will have their price limit lifted by 3.95 per cent to reflect the recent increase to the minimum wage. Introduced in 2013 by the Gillard government, the NDIS today supports up to 700,000 Australians with a disability and contributes to some 500,000 jobs.
The Guardian
06-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Peter Dutton coy on what public servant jobs he will slash if he wins election
Peter Dutton has yet to reveal any detail about his plan to slash public servant jobs in Canberra under a government he leads, as Labor warns his plan will cut crucial government services and risks another robodebt. In a rare press conference at Parliament House on Thursday, the opposition leader provided little information on his plans to get the 'economy back on track' through slashing government jobs and other 'wasteful spending'. 'We'll make announcements in relation to our policies in due course, but I do note that with the 36,000 additional, that brings the public service up to over 200,000,' he said. 'I'm happy to make the announcement at the time, but I've been clear we're not having 36,000 additional public servants in Canberra.' Dutton claimed the growth under the Albanese government was to 'please the unions' not 'provide a more efficient delivery of service'. The public service minister, Katy Gallagher, described Dutton's plans as 'reckless and arrogant' and a 'return to worse services, expensive consultants, and the era of robodebt'. Since the Coalition's 2022-23 budget, the average staffing level for the public service has risen by 35,592 roles, most notably in the frontline services, such as the National Disability Insurance Agency, Services Australia as well as the defence and health departments. The Australian Public Service Commission's latest State of the Service report showed the number of public servants had risen to more than 185,000 as of June 2024, an 8.9% increase on the previous year. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email In a speech to the Liberal-aligned Menzies Research Centre in January, Dutton foreshadowed the axing of diversity and inclusion positions, along with 'change managers' and 'internal communication specialists'. 'Such positions, as I say, do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians,' Dutton claimed. 'They're certainly not frontline service delivery roles that can make a difference to people's lives.' A number of Dutton's frontbench have responded differently when asked which jobs would be slashed. Shadow ministers Jane Hume and David Coleman did not address questions this week about whether they would oversee cuts in their own future portfolio departments, if elected. The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has previously suggested all 36,000 jobs should be slashed but has softened his language since. 'It's time for us to get out of your life, not put more public servants into it,' he said in Canberra in early February. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion A Coalition reshuffle in January saw the promotion of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to a new Elon Musk-inspired shadow ministry role centring on government efficiency. Price told The Australian the Coalition 'won't be cutting' the public service workforce, if elected, but would 'halt' its growth. A few days later, the Country Liberal senator told 2GB diversity and inclusion roles would be on the chopping block. The Community and Public Sector Union deputy secretary, Rebecca Fawcett, accused the opposition of being deliberately coy to avoid losing support. 'Peter Dutton is not being honest with Australians about what public services he'll cut because he wants you to believe it won't be the ones you use or rely on,' she said. 'Peter Dutton and the Liberals don't want a strong public service that works for mums and dads, veterans, students and pensioners – they want to funnel taxpayer money into the pockets of big consulting firms while leaving everyday Australians to fend for themselves. 'The only people that win from Peter Dutton's plan to slash public services are consultants from places like PwC and KPMG.' Dutton did not rule out a return to limiting spending on consultants, but said 'if there is wasteful spending taking place, then it should be cut'. An Albanese government audit in 2023 found the former Morrison government had spent $20.8bn outsourcing more than a third of public service operations. Nearly 54,000 full-time staff were employed as consultants or service providers for the federal government during the 2021-22 financial year – the equivalent of 37% of the 144,300-employee public service, it found.
