Jacquie Petrusma: Positive First Year for NDIS Trial in Tasmania

The Liberal Government is committed to the full roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Tasmania.

Today is the one year anniversary of the beginning of the NDIS trial in Tasmania and it is very pleasing that we have met our first year target with 792 young Tasmanians with disability transitioning to the scheme.

The first stage of the NDIS in Tasmania will see the scheme rolled out to about 1,000 Tasmanians with disability aged between 15 to 24 by July 2016. From July 2016 other eligible Tasmanians with disability will start to get support through NDIS, and by the time the NDIS is fully implemented in July 2019, some 10,000 Tasmanians with disability will be supported.

The NDIS is a project of critical national importance and the first year of the trial in Tasmania has seen a tremendous improvement in care and support available for the young people who have transitioned to the scheme. The NDIS is placing choice and control in the hands of people with disability, their families, and carers.

The Liberal Government is also further helping Tasmanians living with disability by providing $500,000 per year over four years to those who fall outside the current age criteria. This will provide an extra 12,000 hours of individual disability support.

We have also committed to providing $250,000 to National Disability Services (Tasmania) to help them develop a trained workforce ready to meet the increased service demands under the NDIS.

We are committed to working closely with the National Disability Insurance Agency and the Commonwealth Government as we continue to expand the NDIS for more Tasmanians with a disability.
Jacquie Petrusma, Minister for Human Services