Post by bear on Jul 12, 2022 6:40:34 GMT 7
'A kick in the guts': Jariah was born here but can't get any NDIS funding
The parents of a three-year-old boy with severe autism are fighting for access to funded disability support services for their son after being told he qualifies for none.
The parents of a three-year-old boy with severe autism are fighting for access to funded disability support services for their son after being told he qualifies for none.
Jariah was born in Australia, after his parents, Toni-Maree and Rob Tino, moved to Queensland from New Zealand 12 years ago.
A few months ago, Jariah was diagnosed with level 3 autism.
His diagnosis meant the speech and occupational therapy sessions Jariah had been receiving under Medicare were suddenly cut off, Ms Tino said, because they now needed to be funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
New Zealanders living in Australia are not able to access any support through the NDIS.
However, Australians living in New Zealand are eligible to receive full funding for disability services after they have been there for two years.
Jariah's plight comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flagged on Friday that New Zealanders living in Australia would likely be offered easier pathways to citizenship under proposals to be announced next Anzac Day.
"We know that there have been a range of issues raised relating to citizenship," Albanese said after a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
"We don't want people to be temporary residents forever."
Ms Tino said she and her husband would have liked to become Australian citizens well before now but the process was extremely difficult.
"We have lived here in Australia for 12 years, we pay taxes and we own a home here," she said.
"Our whole lives are here but the hoops you have to jump through to just try and get citizenship are just ridiculous for New Zealanders.
"I think people from other nationalities find it much easier than we do."
New Zealanders who arrived in Australia before 2001 automatically have the right to apply for permanent residency but a rule change has made the path to citizenship harder for New Zealanders arriving after this date.
New Zealanders are, however, able to work and live in Australia for an unlimited amount of time as temporary residents.
Under the current immigration laws in Australia, Ms Tino said Jariah would need to wait until he was 10 to become eligible for Australian citizenship, which would then qualify him for NDIS support.
It was a "kick in the guts" to be told to wait so long for the help Jariah desperately needed, she said.
"They are willing to help him when he is 10, but what are we supposed to do in the meantime, let him suffer?"
Mr and Ms Tino have eight children, five of whom were born in Australia.
His diagnosis meant the speech and occupational therapy sessions Jariah had been receiving under Medicare were suddenly cut off, Ms Tino said, because they now needed to be funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
New Zealanders living in Australia are not able to access any support through the NDIS.
However, Australians living in New Zealand are eligible to receive full funding for disability services after they have been there for two years.
Jariah's plight comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flagged on Friday that New Zealanders living in Australia would likely be offered easier pathways to citizenship under proposals to be announced next Anzac Day.
"We know that there have been a range of issues raised relating to citizenship," Albanese said after a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
"We don't want people to be temporary residents forever."
Ms Tino said she and her husband would have liked to become Australian citizens well before now but the process was extremely difficult.
"We have lived here in Australia for 12 years, we pay taxes and we own a home here," she said.
"Our whole lives are here but the hoops you have to jump through to just try and get citizenship are just ridiculous for New Zealanders.
"I think people from other nationalities find it much easier than we do."
New Zealanders who arrived in Australia before 2001 automatically have the right to apply for permanent residency but a rule change has made the path to citizenship harder for New Zealanders arriving after this date.
New Zealanders are, however, able to work and live in Australia for an unlimited amount of time as temporary residents.
Under the current immigration laws in Australia, Ms Tino said Jariah would need to wait until he was 10 to become eligible for Australian citizenship, which would then qualify him for NDIS support.
It was a "kick in the guts" to be told to wait so long for the help Jariah desperately needed, she said.
"They are willing to help him when he is 10, but what are we supposed to do in the meantime, let him suffer?"
Mr and Ms Tino have eight children, five of whom were born in Australia.
The large family is supported by Mr Tino's full-time job in a warehouse, meaning money is tight.
As a former early childhood educator, Ms Tino said she knew early intervention was key for children with autism, but they simply couldn't afford to pay for any of the speech therapy, occupational therapy or psychologist sessions her son needed.
"It makes you feel terrible as a parent because you think I've got other kids that need to be fed," she said.
"Petrol is going up, food is going up.
"Do we go to a speech therapy session, or do we pay our power bill?"
Jariah had challenges with his speech and social skills but was extremely intelligent, his mother said.
"We believe he is hyperlexic. He can read, we never taught him, he just taught himself," she said.
"He can identify numbers, sounds and some places on the world map.
"He has an interest in numbers and letters, he fixates on them."
Ms Tino said it was devastating to see her son slip through the cracks of an "unfair" system and this had left her uncertain about the family's future in Australia.
"Honestly, I've thought about going back home a lot because none of my family is here," she said.
"We made the choice to come here for a better life for our children."
Ms Tino said she had contacted NDIS Minister Bill Shorten's office, who told her they had escalated a complaint to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) on her behalf.
9news.com.au has reached out to Mr Shorten for comment but is yet to receive a reply.
A spokesperson for the Department of Social Services said it was the law which set out who could access the NDIS.
"The residency requirements for NDIS eligibility are set in the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act) as passed by the Australian Parliament in 2013. They can only be changed if the parliament amends the NDIS Act in that regard," the spokesperson said.
"At the request of the Minister's Office, the National Disability Insurance Agency will contact the family via their local area coordinator to help them connect with mainstream health and disability community supports which they continue to have access to," the spokesperson added.
Ms Tino has set up an online petition calling for New Zealanders living in Australia to be given access to disability services.
amp.9news.com.au/article/e084659c-0e21-4fae-bbaf-2e1704d40611
9news.com.au has reached out to Mr Shorten for comment but is yet to receive a reply.
A spokesperson for the Department of Social Services said it was the law which set out who could access the NDIS.
"The residency requirements for NDIS eligibility are set in the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act) as passed by the Australian Parliament in 2013. They can only be changed if the parliament amends the NDIS Act in that regard," the spokesperson said.
"At the request of the Minister's Office, the National Disability Insurance Agency will contact the family via their local area coordinator to help them connect with mainstream health and disability community supports which they continue to have access to," the spokesperson added.
Ms Tino has set up an online petition calling for New Zealanders living in Australia to be given access to disability services.
amp.9news.com.au/article/e084659c-0e21-4fae-bbaf-2e1704d40611