APS Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s Inquiry into the Capability and Culture of the National Disability Insurance Agency

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) welcomes the opportunity to present the views of APS members in our submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s Inquiry into the Capability and Culture of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

In our submission, we noted that psychologists have had a strong interest in providing expert psychological services to people with disabilities ever since the NDIS was established almost a decade ago.  However, we also noted that there are systemic factors which have prevented – and continue to prevent – psychologists from working within the NDIA to the full extent of their skills and expertise.   The culture and capability of the NDIA is one key factor. 

The APS submission identified five key themes in which emerged through our consultation with APS members in relation to their experiences of interacting with the NDIA:

1. Psychologists hold concerns about the transparency and accountability of the NDIA’s decision-making processes (including access and planning decisions), especially where decisions are manifestly inconsistent with the recommendations of psychologists and where no explanations are given;
    
2. The NDIA is seen as an impermeable agency which is difficult to access, with psychologists reporting considerable difficulties obtaining accurate and consistent information.Psychologists have also identified considerable barriers to accessing specialist teams within the NDIA and in obtaining meaningful data about the NDIS;
    
3. There is insufficient understanding across the NDIA of the nature and scope of psychologists’ work with people with disabilities.This includes enduring misconceptions which reinforce a false or unnecessary distinction between disability and mental health supports, leading to psychological services being undervalued and underfunded for NDIS participants;
    
4. There is a need to promote culturally-appropriate practices in the NDIA to minimise inequitable outcomes for NDIS participants, including people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people, and people from a refugee background. There is also a need for NDIA decision-makers to understand the local conditions of participants and providers in remote and rural Australia; and
    
5. The NDIA has not kept pace with policy development and implementation in relation to supported decision-making, despite the expected benefits of this work in promoting the rights and capacity of people with disabilities. The APS recommends that the NDIA prioritise the development and implementation of its Support for Decision Making policy, including through further input from psychologists in relation to contemporary research and best practice.

The APS looks forward to opportunities to contribute to the reform of the culture and capability of the NDIA.  In the meantime, the APS will continue to advocate for the full contribution of psychologists in the NDIS in supporting the capacity, connection and community participation of Australians with disabilities, including through the current NDIS Review.

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