A frontline Illawarra disability worker supports the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) but not the forced privatisation of the sector.
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The worker, who did not wish to be named, has spent more than 25 years in the disability sector and is worried that his pay and conditions will suffer – and so will his clients.
NDIS legislation designed to allow the Coalition state government to exit disability services by 2018 passed the upper house at the end of last month. The NDIS (NSW Enabling) Bill 2013 is expected to pass the lower house next week.
‘‘I’m all in favour of the NDIS, but the NDIS is supposed to be about choice and building capacity,’’ the Illawarra worker and Public Service Association (PSA) representative said.
‘‘If you are taking away government services which currently provide 40per cent of all disability services, then you are actually taking away people’s choices.
‘‘I’ve worked for many years in group homes in the Illawarra and I fear that the disability sector will be compromised if it’s completely privatised – that organisations will be competing with each other in a race to the bottom.’’
Another Illawarra worker and union representative, who has spent 20 years providing support to people with disabilities in their own homes, is also concerned about the changes.
‘‘Many of these clients don’t have strong advocates or support and they are at risk of falling through the gaps as they won’t have the support the government currently gives them,’’ she said.
PSA industrial officer Thane Pearce said many community members would see the provision of disability services as a ‘‘core responsibility’’ of government.
‘‘All the available evidence suggests the sector needs to grow substantially to cater for the increase in demand brought about by the NDIS,’’ he said.
‘‘We think that [public provider] Ageing, Disability and Home Care [ADHC] is well positioned to support that transition.
‘‘So while the PSA supports the NDIS and better funding for disability services, that’s quite distinct from the O’Farrell Government’s plan to privatise publicly provided disability services in NSW.’’
Mr Pearce said there were 14,000 public sector workers across the state who would be affected. These employees worked in a range of areas, including group homes, large residential care facilities, home care, respite and planning, administration and management.
‘‘The wholesale privatisation includes the forced compulsory transfer of staff from the public sector to non-government and/or private sector disability providers,’’ he said.
‘‘The legislation offers few protections or guarantees for staff, and staff who are forcibly transferred risk forfeiting accrued entitlements including their entitlement to redundancy and potentially long service and other forms of leave and conditions of employment.
‘‘There’s currently a substantial differential in rates of pay between the public and private sector.’’
Minister for Ageing and Disability Services John Ajaka, who introduced the bill, said more than 60per cent of disability services were already provided by non-government organisations.
Mr Ajaka said the bill would allow ADHC to work with staff and people with a disability, their families and carers over the next five years on a transition model.
He said the NDIS more than doubled the funding for disability services in NSW to more than $6billion per annum from 2018.