BCCM welcomes Bill Shorten’s comments regarding the need for major systemic reforms to NDIS

18 April 2023

BCCM CEO Melina Morrison welcomes the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten’s comments regarding the need for major systemic reforms to the scheme to ensure its sustainability.

“If the Government is considering rejigging the NDIS, this is an opportunity to put stakeholders at the centre of those discussions. Only when you give agency to, and empower, those receiving care and those delivering it, can you achieve the kind of accountability and focus on person centred care that is needed,” said Ms Morrison.

“Some aspects of the NDIS have unfortunately created perverse incentives for profiteering, but there are co-operatives of parents and care workers out there that have demonstrated it is possible to deliver transparent, responsible and ethical services through the NDIS where the purpose of the business is aligned with the objectives of people living with disability.”

“That’s why we are excited to be involved in the delivery of the Care Together program, which will introduce new and innovative business models to the sector, particularly in areas where more traditional models have failed.”

“Co-operatives and mutuals are ideally suited to the provision of disability services as they place those being cared for, as well as those providing the care, at the heart of the solution. In a co-op, people, not profits, are the beginning, middle and end purpose of the business.”

“There are strong examples in the disability sector that demonstrate that when you put the worker or the person needing care at the centre of business purpose you can achieve the twin outcomes of containing costs, while also ensuring the highest quality of care is delivered.”

“Just this week, one of our longest standing social care co-operatives, Nundah Community Enterprise Co-operative in Brisbane, turned 25 years old. People working in that business have both a stake and a voice, not just a job and they have been there since its inception.  Nundah is an example of how you can make sure that people – both care givers and receivers – are genuinely empowered.”

Read more about the Care Together Program.