Kelly in the Media

Disability service providers across Australia are considering shedding their transport services because there is no funding commitment in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to directly cover the costs of maintaining vehicles.

The service providers’ peak representative body National Disability Services said covering transport costs was an increasing problem that has emerged because of the NDIS’s rapid expansion.

“Traditionally, organisations have been block-funded and in that funding they have been able to find money to maintain their transport,” National Disability Services chief executive Ken Baker said.

“But under the NDIS, every dollar is linked to a service and those dollars aren’t provided to service organisations, they’re provided to individuals in the scheme.

“There’s nothing within that funding to say this funding is to assist the organisation you use to maintain its vehicle fleet.”

Mr Baker said it was not just maintenance costs causing problems and day-to-day running costs such as paying drivers were becoming increasingly difficult to cover.

While people on the NDIS can access $1,600 to $3,000 a year to help with transport to and from services, and while the organisations can charge clients, Mr Baker said the money received is not nearly enough.

“They need access to specialist transport in order to participate in community activities, go to work, to participate in social life,” he said.

“If they can’t get transport they’ll be isolated.”

‘Expensive’ taxis the only other option, say providers

Mr Baker said if fewer community buses are available, NDIS participants will have to rely on access to taxis and a majority of states have indicated they will not subsidise already “expensive” taxi costs beyond July 2019.

That is when the NDIS is fully rolled out in all states and territories.

In South Australia, for example, the NDIS will be completed by July next year but the State Government agreed to fund the taxi subsidy only until 2019.

The state’s Dignity Party MLC, Kelly Vincent, said there are no plans beyond this point to help hundreds of South Australians eligible for the NDIS, a majority of whom would need help with transport.

Mr Baker said while clients can supplement transport needs with other parts of their funding packages, it will leave less money for other essential services.

He said a solution needed to include taxi subsidies, providing support to organisation enabling them to run vehicles and coordinating community transport systems.

“I’m sure it’s an issue high on their [NDIS] list of problems to solve but as yet we don’t have a solution,” he said.

The NDIS has been contacted for comment.