Funding issues for Tasmanian disability service providers
Jul 16, 2021 7:30:19 GMT 7
itsmylife08 likes this
Post by bear on Jul 16, 2021 7:30:19 GMT 7
Funding issues exposed for Tasmanian disability service providers
Disability support provider New Horizons Tasmania says it only has enough money in the bank to keep operating for the next 16 months.
The organisation's chief executive Belinda Kitto in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry on disability services in the state said New Horizons lost core funding from the Tasmanian Government in 2018-19.
She said it was awarded one-off funding from the federal government in 2019-20 to continue its work for 12 months.
"NHT has been without any core funding since July 2020 and is now existing on savings and fundraising," Ms Kitto said.
"The future of our organisation and statewide programs are at risk with enough funds available to continue operating for only a further 16 months."
Under a bilateral agreement with the federal government, the Tasmanian Government agreed to pay an annual contribution each year to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
That contribution was $233 million in 2019-20.
Brain Injury Association of Tasmania executive officer Deborah Byrne said this contribution represented the total of the state's disability funding, and as such, the government had stopped funding organisations that serviced Tasmanians not on the NDIS.
She said Tasmanians with a disability who were not eligible for an NDIS package would be most likely dependent upon the NDIS Information Linkages and Capacity Building strategy to have their needs met.
"The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania believes the ILC Strategy - a project-by-project strategy with a narrow focus on a limited range of outcomes - is not fit-for-purpose," Ms Byrne said.
"Whilst in the short term ILC will provide some programs and supports not previously available, in the long term it offers expensive band-aid solutions that do not contribute to an effective, sustainable, efficient, and reliable supply of services."
She said repeated changes to and experimentation with the ILC strategy and a failure to plan to meet the gaps and unmet needs arising from flawed strategy meant people with disability were likely to end up worse off than they were before the NDIS was introduced.
A private witness from North-East Tasmania made a submission to the Legislative Council committee about their exclusion from the NDIS because they were over 65 years of age.
They said this meant they had to rely on government service My Aged Care.
"My Aged Care was set up to cater for frail age, not a person who has a disability," the witness said.
"We have different needs like assistive technology and mobility assistance."
The first of the inquiry's hearings will be held next month.
www.theadvocate.com.au/story/7342960/disability-service-cash-levels-dire/?fbclid=IwAR2vQoaQbDuu1WfhLuZOAIVZRYD3NKHwg9_eTyE5Cmcq1QsIlCqIWs4f-UQ
Disability support provider New Horizons Tasmania says it only has enough money in the bank to keep operating for the next 16 months.
The organisation's chief executive Belinda Kitto in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry on disability services in the state said New Horizons lost core funding from the Tasmanian Government in 2018-19.
She said it was awarded one-off funding from the federal government in 2019-20 to continue its work for 12 months.
"NHT has been without any core funding since July 2020 and is now existing on savings and fundraising," Ms Kitto said.
"The future of our organisation and statewide programs are at risk with enough funds available to continue operating for only a further 16 months."
Under a bilateral agreement with the federal government, the Tasmanian Government agreed to pay an annual contribution each year to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
That contribution was $233 million in 2019-20.
Brain Injury Association of Tasmania executive officer Deborah Byrne said this contribution represented the total of the state's disability funding, and as such, the government had stopped funding organisations that serviced Tasmanians not on the NDIS.
She said Tasmanians with a disability who were not eligible for an NDIS package would be most likely dependent upon the NDIS Information Linkages and Capacity Building strategy to have their needs met.
"The Brain Injury Association of Tasmania believes the ILC Strategy - a project-by-project strategy with a narrow focus on a limited range of outcomes - is not fit-for-purpose," Ms Byrne said.
"Whilst in the short term ILC will provide some programs and supports not previously available, in the long term it offers expensive band-aid solutions that do not contribute to an effective, sustainable, efficient, and reliable supply of services."
She said repeated changes to and experimentation with the ILC strategy and a failure to plan to meet the gaps and unmet needs arising from flawed strategy meant people with disability were likely to end up worse off than they were before the NDIS was introduced.
A private witness from North-East Tasmania made a submission to the Legislative Council committee about their exclusion from the NDIS because they were over 65 years of age.
They said this meant they had to rely on government service My Aged Care.
"My Aged Care was set up to cater for frail age, not a person who has a disability," the witness said.
"We have different needs like assistive technology and mobility assistance."
The first of the inquiry's hearings will be held next month.
www.theadvocate.com.au/story/7342960/disability-service-cash-levels-dire/?fbclid=IwAR2vQoaQbDuu1WfhLuZOAIVZRYD3NKHwg9_eTyE5Cmcq1QsIlCqIWs4f-UQ
